Schindler's Legacy: True Stories Of The List Survivors (1994) - Plot & Excerpts
When the film SCHINDLER'S LIST came out in 1993, Elinor Brecher did a remarkable thing. It occurred to her that, given her location in Florida, she might be living very near a few of the Schindlerjuden (those who were saved by Oskar Schindler during the Holocaust) and she undertook to interview as many of them as she could for a series of articles. This remarkable book grew from that notion. The more than 40 people whose stories make up SCHINDLER'S LEGACY tell us how close Keneally, and then Spielberg, got to the truth of their experiences in the Nazi death machine. For instance, I remember that a friend was appalled by what she saw as the manipulativeness of a scene wherein the women are taken to the showers at Auschwitz, and they are sure they are going to be gassed. After almost unbearable tension, it turns out that it really is a shower. The women who are interviewed for the book tell Brecher, and therefore us, that it really did happen in just that way. What *didn't* happen, however, was the emotional "I could have done more" scene when Schindler departed Brinnlitz at the end of the war. His departure was moving, but very low-key. We're also informed that the violence in the film is toned down considerably. If Spielberg had shown the atrocities that really occurred at the hands of the SS, the Gestapo and the Poles, before, during and after the War, he would never have been able to get the movie released. No film or novel can touch the reminiscences of these now elderly people, some still deeply devout, others completely bereft of faith, some laughing about how they met, others still crying for lost parents, siblings and children. Only one couple in the entire book was able to tell of their children having both sets of grandparents. More often the survivors were the only ones left in their families. The cruelties they experienced in post-war "peacetime" were sometimes as gruesome as anything in the camps. The end of the War didn't mean the end of anti-semitism, or the end of the murders. Finally, the survivors' opinions on Schindler himself are fascinating. Some give him the status of saint while others think he got more credit than he should have, and that he was actually copying another good Gentile who went unacknowledged. Many talk about the uncredited kindness of his long-suffering wife, Emilie. Most agree that were it not for that magic List, they would not be alive to debate these issues. These are people who went on to contribute in countless ways to society, history and humanity. Their fortitude, gumption and plain luck are to be celebrated, and I believe that Elinor Brecher has done that beautifully here.
I'd been meaning to read this for a long time b/c I knew it really touched my dad. One of the only times I've ever seen him cry is when he teared up while telling me a story from this book. I read a few of the chapters and thoughts they were pretty poorly written and disorganized, and also highly editorialized (too much of the author's opinions and embellishments). I finally had my dad direct me to the chapter he liked best. I didn't think it was really written any better, but I could definitely see how the story had an impact on him, and it led to a great phone discussion between us, too. When I commented to my dad about the writing, he said, "I like people." Basically, he just likes to hear about people's lives and didn't care about the writing. So if that's your goal, this is a great book for you. Otherwise, I'd recommend another book on the topic. I did really enjoy discussing it with my dad, though.
What do You think about Schindler's Legacy: True Stories Of The List Survivors (1994)?
This book tells different stories of Schindler's Holocaust survivors. I like how each chapter outlines the personal experience of a different person or couple. Each person is allowed to express what the Holocaust did to them, who and what they lost, how they appeared on Schindler's list, what their experiences were during the war, and what they had to go through after the war ended. Each person revealed how they were changed. Some people grew stronger and their faith became stronger, others shrunk from the experience and some gave up a faith altogether. It is easy to see how each person went through similar things but their experiences and reactions to those experiences were unique. I found this book to be inspiring because they made it through a difficult experience.
—Sharon
2.5 stars.Schindler's Legacy is for the dedicated fan of Oskar Schindler. The book profiles 31 schindlerjuden. Elinor Brecher probably could have had more impact if she had chosen to profile about 20 survivors. Some of her profiles drag a bit. Some of her subjects are reluctant to talk to her. The book could have used a more thorough edit: Some profiles of survivors are a bit confusing in terms of whom or what is being referred to.All the survivors who are profiled in the book live in the U.S. and have settled down and become successful. Most started families. Some briefly lived in Israel or visit there often. There are a couple revelations about Schindler or his charges.At least one survivor castigates Oskar Schindler for having joined the Nazi party. "Once a Nazi, always a Nazi," the person says. The bitterness surprised me, but all the other survivors are grateful to Schindler for saving their lives. Another person claims Schindler got his idea to save his Jewish workers from another, little-remembered German factory owner who treated his Jewish employees with kindness.Another person has an unexpected take on the famous watering incident in the Plaszow Concentration Camp. Schindler, heartbroken by the people who were stuffed in rail cars on a sweltering day as they awaited transfer to other camps, convinces the concentration camp commandant to have the cars watered down. A survivor in Schindler's Legacy suggests that the watering of the cars might have done more harm than good. The water might have boiled the people in the baking cars.
—Craig Barner
