Questions I Am Asked about the Holocaust

Description

'There are no stupid questions, nor any forbidden ones, but there are some questions that have no answer.' 'There are no stupid questions, nor any forbidden ones, but there are some questions that have no answer.' Hedi Fried was nineteen when the Nazis snatched her family from their home in Eastern Europe and transported them to Auschwitz, where her parents were murdered and she and her sister were forced into hard labour until the end of the war. Now ninety-four, she has spent her life educating young people about the Holocaust and answering their questions about one of the darkest periods in human history. Questions like, 'How was it to live in the camps?', 'Did you dream at night?', 'Why did Hitler hate the Jews?', and 'Can you forgive?'. With sensitivity and complete candour, Fried answers these questions and more in this deeply human book that urges us never to forget and never to repeat. 'Timeless lessons taught with simple eloquence.' -Kirkus 'Now 94, Fried's largeness of spirit emanates from every considered response to even the most confronting questions asked of her. One senses that her replies are not only educative but therapeutic, especially for young people grappling with their own questions about the meaning of life. While most of her experiences of this period are inescapably dark, there were moments of light that assumed enormous significance.' -Fiona Capp, The Saturday Age 'Fried was 19 when she and her family were sent from Hungary to Auschwitz. Her parents were murdered, but she and her sister survived. They both made a home in Sweden and, ever since, Fried, now 94, has talked to students about her experiences. This slim but powerful volume, sensitively translated by Alice Olsson, comprises answers to the questions she is most frequently asked, such as- "Why did you not fight back?" and "What helped you to survive?", "Are you able to forgive?" Fried answers with humanity, candour and thoughtfulness in a book that should be required reading for all young people.' -Hannah Beckerman, The Guardian

Hedi Fried (Author) Hedi Fried (b. 1924) is an author and psychologist. She is deeply committed to working for democratic values and against racism. She was born in the town of Sighet, in Romania, was transported to Auschwitz in 1944, and worked in several labour camps, eventually ending up in Bergen-Belsen. After liberation, she came to Sweden with her sister, and has lived there ever since. Her bestselling autobiography, Fragments of a Life- the road to Auschwitz, was published in English and Swedish in the 1990s. Alice Olsson (Author) Alice E. Olsson is a literary translator, writer, and editor working across Swedish and English. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Comparative Literature at University College London, specialising in literature and human rights.