I was fascinated by The Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz. Denis Avey's life has been pretty unbelievable, and I appreciate that his book seems to capture so much of his "every man" persona. Auschwitz was just one part of an interesting chronicle, and I think for me that most of the book's weight came from Avey's WWII experiences overall. This definitely should be on the list for people who enjoy reading about that war, especially as it provides insight into experiences not usually chronicled. I've read a few of the Holocaust survivor testimonies now and the vast majority are impactful and well written. The story Avey tells though has a twist. The first part of the story details how Avey ended up as a POW bearing witness to the atrocities at Auschwitz . His account is fascinating covering escapes from torpedoed ships, fighting in the desert against Rommel - it's a whole story all in itself. That story is fascinating but then his account of switching places with a Jewish prisoner and getting to see the world they lived in at Auschwitz is incredible. I would agree with a number of the reviewers who are disappointed that this part of the story is not covered in more detail - a fair point since that is the premise of the books title. Without spoiling what it amounts to is him spending two nights in the camp after work and going back in the morning. He gets to eat and sleep with the Jewish prisoners and then switches back to his POW status. Definitely could be covered with more detail but I suspect that it's a truthful account of a brief part of his stay in Auschwitz and that the publishers seized on it as a great premise on which to sell the book. While other reviewers have said Avey is self centred and unheroic in his focus on steering clear of others in his attempts to escape, I can not agree. At one point in the early stages of the war he has landed a cushy assignment in South Africa and chooses to return to the front lines and fight alongside his colleagues. At many other periods in the camps he details helping others by securing packages from the red cross or through the switching places with a Jewish prisoner who was then able to get a better meal for a few days. What others may have seized on is the survival instinct that got him through so many of these events - there has to be an ability to understand when you can help and when you can't otherwise he would likely not be here to tell his story. His compassion for others comes through clearly in his feelings about friends and those he tries to reconnect with after the war.I enjoyed the fact that Avey kept the story going after the war ended, recounting amazing things he found out later about his wartime years. As with most of these testimonies it's a deeply personal account that is well written and interesting for the reader. If you like WW2 history or true stories this is a great read.
An interesting enough story. However,the horrors of Auschwitz have been more graphically and tellingly portrayed by those who actually spent some time in that awful place, rather than just a couple of random nights. In fact, very little of the book is about the time he spent in Auschwitz, and tells more of his other service in the war, and the subsequent search for some of those he met during his time of enforced labour as a POW. I didn't particularly warm to the writer - he came across (to me at least) as rather pig-headed and selfish. And the repercussions he risked, not only for himself but for his fellow prisoners, to get into Auschwitz, were not worth it. Ultimately, a disappointing read, which I wouldn't recommend. There are many others which better portray the depravity of Auschwitz.
—cindy
I had always been cautious about reading this being sceptical about the swap with the Auschwitz inmate. Having read it I don't doubt that the author suffered greatly during the war and witnessed appalling things but it has not altered my scepticism about the main element of the book - that is to say the swap which is covered on,y very briefly in the book.For me the most moving part was the detail of his friend from the camp, Ernst, which was taken from ernst's own videoed transcripts. I am also sorry to say that I found the author being portrayed as rather arrogant and in a rather unsympathetic light and at times felt like I was reading a war time story from a Boys Own book
—nicole
Not bad, but I expected more. Some parts of it are a bit hard to believe.
—mari101
