Rating: 
Summary: Shocking in its non-chalance
Review: Borowski's account of life in Aushcwitz is a classic. The brutality, inhumanity, and gruesome daily life in the hell-on-earth that was the Holocaust is matter-of-factly, even non-chalantly described and recounted in _This Way to the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen_. Little wonder the author put his own head in a gas oven in the years following his experiences. The images are haunting. But what I found to be most disturbing was the simple language Borowski used in retelling his experiences. Borowski, a Pole, lived separately from the Jews who were daily incenerated. And while his life was unimaginably difficult, by some measure it was better than that of the Jews. A sense of guilt - call it survivors guilt, or regret, or perhaps at its most elemental level, deep and profound sadness - permeates the book, as it should. It is a remarkable read, profound and stunning. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Shocking in its non-chalance
Review: Borowski's account of life in Aushcwitz is a classic. The brutality, inhumanity, and gruesome daily life in the hell-on-earth that was the Holocaust is matter-of-factly, even non-chalantly described and recounted in _This Way to the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen_. Little wonder the author put his own head in a gas oven in the years following his experiences. The images are haunting. But what I found to be most disturbing was the simple language Borowski used in retelling his experiences. Borowski, a Pole, lived separately from the Jews who were daily incenerated. And while his life was unimaginably difficult, by some measure it was better than that of the Jews. A sense of guilt - call it survivors guilt, or regret, or perhaps at its most elemental level, deep and profound sadness - permeates the book, as it should. It is a remarkable read, profound and stunning. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible Inhumanity
Review: Borowski's depiction of his days spent as an inmate in Auschwitz are totally gripping. Because the book is short stories, he is able to give different pictures and perspectives of the "Auschwitz Life" through the experiences of numerous inmates and incidents. Incredibly, Borowski has a tremendously talented way of describing the virtually indescrible horror of the scene, without being grisly and gory. But his point is so poignantly made with the book, that it is really almost a must read for those interested in just how horribly people can treat other people. While suicide is very rare amongst Holocaust survivors, the ones who do commit it, have a very high percentage of authors, poets and artists. These being the ones who felt the pain so deeply, that at some point, they could no longer live with what they had seen. Sadly, Borowski did take his life, and perhaps ironically, he gassed himself to death. Once the reader has read his rendition, it is easy to understand why he cannot live with what he saw anymore, and in fact, it is hard to understand sometimes why so many other Holocaust survivors don't take their own lives. The book is beautifully written, almost poetic at times. And it is hard to imagine anything about Auschwitz being poetic, but Borowski does manage to do it in this book. I would recommend the book to anyone who really wants to get a picture of just how low humanity can sink in extreme conditions.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible Inhumanity
Review: Borowski's depiction of his days spent as an inmate in Auschwitz are totally gripping. Because the book is short stories, he is able to give different pictures and perspectives of the "Auschwitz Life" through the experiences of numerous inmates and incidents. Incredibly, Borowski has a tremendously talented way of describing the virtually indescrible horror of the scene, without being grisly and gory. But his point is so poignantly made with the book, that it is really almost a must read for those interested in just how horribly people can treat other people. While suicide is very rare amongst Holocaust survivors, the ones who do commit it, have a very high percentage of authors, poets and artists. These being the ones who felt the pain so deeply, that at some point, they could no longer live with what they had seen. Sadly, Borowski did take his life, and perhaps ironically, he gassed himself to death. Once the reader has read his rendition, it is easy to understand why he cannot live with what he saw anymore, and in fact, it is hard to understand sometimes why so many other Holocaust survivors don't take their own lives. The book is beautifully written, almost poetic at times. And it is hard to imagine anything about Auschwitz being poetic, but Borowski does manage to do it in this book. I would recommend the book to anyone who really wants to get a picture of just how low humanity can sink in extreme conditions.
Rating: 
Summary: Rightously disturbing
Review: Borowski's stories answer the question "what was daily life in the concentration camps like?" Similar in feel to "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich", Borowski details the petty humiliations, the indignity and perhaps most chillingly of all, the attitudes and actions that everyday people preformed in order to survive Auschwitz. A non-Jewish Pole, Borowski matter-of-factly describes the chilling efficiency of the Nazi killing machine, while accusingly pointing the finger at those who worked in the camp as guily parties as well. As far as the literature of the Holocaust is concerned, Ellie Weisel's "Night" is a better read for your money. If you are interested in another perspective (and a non-Jewish one at that), "This Way to the Gas" is worth a look.
Rating:
Summary: Rightously disturbing
Review: Borowski's stories answer the question "what was daily life in the concentration camps like?" Similar in feel to "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich", Borowski details the petty humiliations, the indignity and perhaps most chillingly of all, the attitudes and actions that everyday people preformed in order to survive Auschwitz. A non-Jewish Pole, Borowski matter-of-factly describes the chilling efficiency of the Nazi killing machine, while accusingly pointing the finger at those who worked in the camp as guily parties as well. As far as the literature of the Holocaust is concerned, Ellie Weisel's "Night" is a better read for your money. If you are interested in another perspective (and a non-Jewish one at that), "This Way to the Gas" is worth a look.
Rating:
Summary: Rightously disturbing
Review: Borowski's stories answer the question "what was daily life in the concentration camps like?" Similar in feel to "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich", Borowski details the petty humiliations, the indignity and perhaps most chillingly of all, the attitudes and actions that everyday people preformed in order to survive Auschwitz. A non-Jewish Pole, Borowski matter-of-factly describes the chilling efficiency of the Nazi killing machine, while accusingly pointing the finger at those who worked in the camp as guily parties as well. As far as the literature of the Holocaust is concerned, Ellie Weisel's "Night" is a better read for your money. If you are interested in another perspective (and a non-Jewish one at that), "This Way to the Gas" is worth a look.
Rating:
Summary: A chilling look into a concentration camp
Review: First of all, the narrator is not Jewish; he is a Pole that lived apart from the Jews in the camp and therefore got better treatment. Apart from that, what really makes this an interesting read is the way that the narrator sort of looks at life in a concentration camp rather non chalantly. There's a great variety of different emotions being presented here. He gets bored, tired, lonely, and angry, all while telling of the horrors of the camp as a sort of backing. The perspective really makes it interesting, and its small, and written in an easy to read manner. You could read this in about two hours if you really tried. Read the story about the Russian soliders being executed. Its almost as horrifying as a Lovecraft story! For anyone interested in the Holocaust, this is a definate must read.
Rating:
Summary: A chilling look into a concentration camp
Review: First of all, the narrator is not Jewish; he is a Pole that lived apart from the Jews in the camp and therefore got better treatment. Apart from that, what really makes this an interesting read is the way that the narrator sort of looks at life in a concentration camp rather non chalantly. There's a great variety of different emotions being presented here. He gets bored, tired, lonely, and angry, all while telling of the horrors of the camp as a sort of backing. The perspective really makes it interesting, and its small, and written in an easy to read manner. You could read this in about two hours if you really tried. Read the story about the Russian soliders being executed. Its almost as horrifying as a Lovecraft story! For anyone interested in the Holocaust, this is a definate must read.
Rating:
Summary: a devstating account of a Gentile victim of the Nazi holocau
Review: I found this book to be a devastating account of the Nazi holocaust, told from the perspective of a Polish Gentile. It is based on the author's own experiences in the Oswiecim (Auschwitz) concentration camp. The book is a collection of stories which horrifyingly gives a more complete picture of the myriad of victims of the Nazi death machine.
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