Rating: 
Summary: Compelling, moving
Review: A fascinating account of Nazi "scientist" and "doctor" Josef Mengele, who cheerfully "selected" thousands of Jews, Gypsies, and other people for quick death (gas chambers) or slow death (by exhaustion, malnutrition, and the filthy conditions) at Auschwitz, and who performed pseudoscientific "experiments" on many human prisoners, especially twin children. Delving into Mengele's past, as an endearing child known as "Beppo", and his life after the war (unrepetant to the end) the authors have created a fascinating portrait of this complex, twisted man. Juxtaposed with Mengele's story are the stories of the few twins who survived the experiments at Auschwitz. I found it especially poignant to see the contrast between Mengele's relatively easy life after the war--he used his family's wealth to start a successful business in South America and hobnobbed with other members of the South American Nazi "elite", and the lives of the twins after the war--most of them lost their families and lived in severe poverty, as well as being haunted throughout their lives by the horrors they suffered at Auschwitz. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A SAD ACCOUNT BUT, NONETHELESS, A TRUE ACCOUNT
Review: Both my parents served in the armed forces overseas during World War II, and it was through them, as a young adult, I heard of the "children of the flames" and the horrors of the concentration camps. When the book was first published, it caught my attention for that very reason. "Children of the Flames" is not an easy book to read simply because of the subject matter. However, the authors have managed to relate the story in a way that tells of the evil acts committed but in as diplomatic a manner as possible. The attrocities are almost too bloodcurdling to conceive. For me, it was impossible to read "Children of the Flames" in one sitting, especially the interviews which actually describe life and the experiments at Auschwitz. This is the story of Josef Mengele and his "children of Auschwitz". Selecting primarily twins (or others who caught his eye) from the multitudes of Jews headed for the gas chambers, Mengele used these innocent children to satisfy his own perverse needs, all in the name of research, as human guinea pigs for his own horrendous experiments. The book is based upon interviews with survivors of Mengele's twins, and the reader will quickly discover, there are few survivors. The interviews tell the life of survivors before capture, during their time at Auschwitz and after their release. Almost all victims have had a lifetime of horrific, unending nightmares except those who cannot remember. Those who cannot remember, and there are few, are perhaps blessed with the body's unique defence system to block out that which is too unbearable and too painful to remember. It has been over fifty years since the Holocaust, but it will forever remain a part of our history. Perhaps we owe it to the survivors of the Holocaust, and the families of those who did not survive, to honour their memory by a book such as this. For those of us who were born after World Ward II, the book will give the reader a deeper appreciation of the freedom we have today in North America.
Rating:
Summary: Auschwitz Doctor of Death
Review: Children of the Flames relates the true story of the twins of Auschwitz and the famous Nazi doctor of death, Josef Mengele. Upon entering Auschwitz, one of the first sights Jews saw was Dr. Mengele in his crisp uniform, cheerfully directing them to the left or right-to life or death. He was especially fascinated with twins, triplets, dwarfs, giants, and other human phenomena; any twins or other unusual children that came into Auschwitz were taken to the "Twins' Barracks;" there they lived with other children selected by Dr. Mengele and were subject to his pseudoscientific "experiments." In the operating room, he had a horrible fascination for the morbid, doing terrible things to them. However, he acted very kindly to them in their barracks, by visting them often and bringing them presents of food and clothing; some of his victims firmly believe that he really loved them as he would his children. Many of the twins lived through their years at Auschwitz, and, in this book, they tell their story of life with Dr. Mengele.
... Children of the Flames is an excellent book.
Rating:
Summary: Children Of The Flames
Review: Dr. Josef Mengele had a pleasant and peaceful childhood in a friendly environment. In his early years, he was known as the playful Beppo, but in his prime years, he was feared and known as the Angel of Death. As the story unravels, stories collected from survivors Mengele's gruesome experiments give an insight about the horrors and crimes committed by the Angel of Death. These real holocaust stories teach the meaning of treasuring what you have, because one day it's here and the next day, gone. There are many holocuast stories out there, but this book is dedicated to the 160 survivors of Mengele's experiment, and the life of Dr. Josef Mengele.
Rating:
Summary: Engrossing
Review: From the start, you are drawn into this book, hardly being able to believe that the young "Beppo" Mengele described could become so horrible, and then not being able to believe that he slipped away so easily given his grotesque deeds. This book reads like a great work of fiction, unfortunately, though, it is 100% true, and that's what makes it all the more enthralling. A few times I had to put the book down from reading descriptions of his experiments on the young twins. As awful as we all know the holocaust to have been, nothing can prepared the reader for what they will experience through the recounts of the survivors. I recommend this book to anyone. It will change your view of the world and of your life.
Rating:
Summary: Mengele
Review: I read this book straight through because I was too drawn in to put it down. The voices of the twins and other Holocaust victims--who faced Mengele daily--are brutally matter of fact, despite the inexpressably horrific conditions they convey. This is a detailed, historical account of Mengele's "science" experiments including the emotional impact on the victims. Admittedly I had terrifying nightmares and a fear of the dentist for months afterward, nothing compared to actually living it with no end in sight.
Rating:
Summary: A book designed very well.
Review: I think this book aptly showed the flames without having to resort to hideous details for the most part. I also thought that alternating text of the twins and Mengele himself made this book much more effective than it might have been, if an alternate approach was used. This is in short a very tastefully done book
of probably the most distasteful material in the history of the human race. All the twins deserve a special place in the hearts
of humanity forever.
Rating:
Summary: A page-turner
Review: Interweaving quotes from twin-survivors about their stories both during and after Auschwitz with Dr. Mengele's own biography, the authors have created a truly compelling narrative. Their central thesis -- that Mengele's obsession with twins derived from the fact that in personality he was a "twin" with angelic and sadistic sides -- is a fascinating one. Moreover, the authors are skillful in presenting anecdotes about the twin's lives that contrast with or even mirror times in Dr. Mengele's own life: i.e., the twins are desperate to leave Europe for Israel after the war; Mengele is desperate to leave Europe for South America; the twins live in broken health; Mengele becomes a hypochondriac. Thus, there is always a rich subtext to simple "stories" about the twins' lives. Moreover, there is nothing gruesome about the book; it avoids detailed accounts of the substance of the experiments, but simply makes the point that the countless procedures performed had no medical value, and were not understood by the twins themselves. Truly excellent and original.
Rating:
Summary: children of the flames-a must read
Review: This book confused me at first, I am afraid. It took me a while to figure out what the authors were doing in jumping from information about Mengele at particular times in his life, to the words (spoken or written) of the children who suffered so much under his hands (also at that particular point in their lives). By the middle of the book, I figured out the author's use of comparison between Mengele and the children's groups to illustrate the great differences between the children growing up as adults and overcoming their past/dealing with it, while Mengele dwindled into the nothing that he really was in South America. Of course, I'd heard or read some things about Mengele, but it was in the process of reading information about bioethics that I was introduced to this book, and decided I should read it for background on some work I'm doing, as per science and medicine and those least able to protect themselves against unethical practitioners of these 'arts'. The book does not dwell on the horrors that Mengele practiced on these children, and also on dwarves and giants and any other 'misfits' he was interested in. What information there is in the book (it was in story form, rather than professional paper format with numbers marking footnotes or endnotes...but there was additional information at the back of the book based on pages), indicates that Mengele was less of a scientist or a doctor, and more of a technician. His ideas for the experiments were quite often not his own, and he was extremely sloppy in keeping records that even had Germany won the war, would have provided genetic information of use to anyone else. I doubt sincerely any other scientist/physician could have copied his work and gotten the same results...and this is an absolute law in science now. Most often Mengele's work seemed to be done to satisfy his own curiosity as well as his obvious need to be in control and to hurt others. The story of Mengele's exile is an living record of the book "The Picture of DOrian Grey." Though Mengele did not lose his good looks or his vanity, he did suffer from problems of his own making, both familial and psychological and physical. I am sure it is of no relief to those families and children who suffered at his hands that he was never brought to account (and I suspect the U.S. as well as other countries are all a bit guilty of blinding themselves), but the man did spend the rest of his life undergoing demeaning circumstances, losing his degrees, total alienation from his family, and numerous real and hypochondrial diseases/pains. Perhaps the most outstanding thing about the book, other than the need to remind the world of the story of these children, is how many of them went on to create lives for themselves that were of great worth, in spite of never forgetting their deceased twins and families, or the horror of what was done to them. My heart broke for the girls who became mothers in their own right, only to suffer from extreme panic and anxiety due to their own past concerning their children. It was and is totally understandable that they should fear constantly, yet so many were able to overcome and be successful in their lives. A story of courage on their parts, a story to be remembered and not forgotten on our part. For once again, the specter of eugenics and genetic manipulation is raising it's head throughout the world, with the passage of laws that allow others to make decisions for the individual concerning what constitutes a life of worth, what defines brain death, and even what type of children people should be able to bear...for the good of society of course. Those same words were spoken and used by Hitler, his cronies, and the physicians and scientists who so willingly followed his orders...all in the name of genetics and science. Those who forget (or do not read about their history), will be condemned to repeat it... Karen Sadler,
Science Education,
University of Pittsburgh
Rating: 
Summary: True but Gruesome stories
Review: This book is definitely a fiery book, containing gruesome stories, accounts of horrid crimes, and documents of the life of Dr. Josef Mengele. This book is very deep and goes into detail of the life before the Holocaust, during the Holocaust, and after the Holocaust. This book is a must read, but may be very inappropriate for children under 13. I rate this book a 4 out of 5, due to the content and graphic images painted into my head.
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