This is a story about a Polish man Adam Kelno who was accused of the war crime of doing improper surgeries, for example, without the use of anesthetic or removing healthy people’s reproductive organs during WWII in a Polish concentration camp. After he was tried and found not guilty he fled to remote jungle village with his family to escape what he claimed were the Jews and communists trying to discredit him as a doctor. During his time in hiding the book The Holocaust, was written by the acclaimed author Abe Cady. In it he wrote that Kelno had performed thousands of inappropriate surgeries. Kelno was infuriated that his name again be tarnished and he sued Cady and his publisher for libel (untrue statement under the demand that he be paid for this untrue discredit and the books no longer be published). The trial took place in Queen’s Bench 7 (hence the title of the book) and after a number of witnesses testified against Kelno that he had in deed performed brutal surgeries against Jews in the concentration camp. He had been part of experimental surgeries in which X-radiation was given to people’s genitals and then they were removed in what Kelno argued was to prevent cancer. However, it was more of an experiment of mass sterilization of the Jews. It was also discovered through witnesses and a medical record that was uncovered at the very end of the book that Kelno used improper anesthetic procedures as failing to sterilize himself and his instruments between the surgeries that he performed with unsafe speed. This resulted with infections and discomfort to the victims for the rest of their lives, not to mention the face that they could no longer reproduce. Therefore, the jury came up with the verdict that Kelno would not be paid for the discredit he claimed The Holocaust had inflicted on him. No only did this decision uncover the brutality that Kelno had hid all those years, but it also stood as a small payment to those Jews that were victims of these inhumane crimes. tI really enjoyed this book- it is an older book recommended by my parents. The first two thirds of the book I thought were a little slow, introducing Adam Kelno and Abe Cady’s stories prior to the trial. But the last third of the book was all about the trial and was sooo good, that it made up for the slow portion. The main thing that I will take from this book is the theme that even though it may be hard to fathom, inhumanity can occur, as it did in the holocaust and people are capable of being pushed to do extreme things, the unimaginable, in unordinary circumstances such as these. Pg. 161- AFTER ALL, THE ONLY THING THAT IS GOING TO SAVE MANKIND IS IF ENOUGH PEOPLE LIVE THEIR LIVES FOR SOMETHING OR SOMEONE OTHER THAN THEMSELVES.”Pg. 424- “ after learning what people can be made to do to people and after the holocaust seeing it still go on and on, I that we are wrecking our world beyond our ability to save ourselves. We have polluted our planet, and the creates who live on it. I swear to God, and we have destroyed each other. I think we’ve run out of time, and space, and I think it’s not a case of if it is going to happen, it’s only a matter of when.”Pg 225- “You see, we mortals are so pompous that we have deluded ourselves into believing that in all of eternity, and all of the vast universe, that we are the only ones who have undergone the human experience. I’ve always believed that it’s happen before on this very earth… Perhaps there have come and gone a dozen human civilizations in the past billion years that we know nothing about. And after this civilization we are living in destroys itself, it will all start up again in a few hundred million years when the planet has all its messes cleaned up. Then, finally, one of these civilizations, say five billion years from now, will last for eternity because people will treat each other the way they ought to.”
If not for the price of $1 I probably would have given this book a miss as the blurb is merely okay verging on being both bland and overloaded with information whilst the title is obscure and meaningless at a glance.The title QB VII is a contraction for Queen’s Bench Court #7 within the High Court of Justice - had that been the title I would have been considerably more interested.The book tells the tale of two sympathetic characters at odds over an assertion one participated in inhumane experimental surgery in the Jadwiga Concentration Camp in World War 2. As the story develops your sympathies change and your feelings/belief of innocence shifts as each division of the book tells the characters story separately.The last half of the book is dedicated to the libel trial and is definitely the best part of the whole book, not only for those interested in court room wrangling, but also as it's where the prior character stories all come together.I was a little disappointed the way the story seemed to waver for the second quarter but it certainly redeemed itself with the last half.3.5 stars
What do You think about QB VII (1982)?
Almost didn't want to read this because of it's obscure title, and length. So glad I finally read it. Some books you forget right away; this one will stick with me for awhile. The author uses his talent to weave an emotional roller coaster that sets up the libel trial with the reader knowing both plaintiff and defendant intimately. It's a gripping novel to the very end as the reader struggles to find out the truth. While some parts are awful and graphic, I think any matter relating to the Holocaust can be nothing but.I learned from this book more about communism, Judiasm, anti-semetism, concentration camps, WW II, and the English law system. But most of all, is the gripping question of what would you do, what could you stand up to, and do you live up to your morals and the morals of humanity when faced with ethical issues every day? Very interesting, well-written novel.
—Chrystal
I had seen the movie of this book as a pre-teen and was very impressed with the story. Now just finished reading the book as an adult and I am impressed with the actual story as written by Leon Uris. I have read many of Leon Uris' books but somehow had not read this one. The story spans several decades and goes back and forth between the time in the Jadwiga Concentration Camp and the horrors committed as part of the Nazi sponsored medical experiments in castration and rendering the "undesirables" sterile. The testimony in the latter part of the book is heart wrenching. The book is actually two stories that coalesce in the trial in London. Once again Leon Uris has outdone himself in superb writing and a compelling story line. I will be looking next at Mila 18 which I had read as a teenager.
—Dennis
I don't like to be contradictory, but this book is not a contrived situation for Leon Uris to make a point. It's based on a lawsuit taken against Uris himself. The basic plot involves a doctor bringing suit for slander against a Jewish author who mentions him, in a work of fiction, as being a Nazi collaborator. Since the story takes place in England, we learn much about the British legal system and the meaning of the word slander. There's plenty of tension, a satisfying ending, and a lot of tangential information so dear to my nerdy heart. I enjoyed this book very much, and oddly enough, also enjoyed the t.v. or movie adaptationm. It starred Ben Gazarra (a surprisingly good choice) in the leading role, with a much younger Anthony Hopkins as the doctor. Highly recommended.
—Gail
