From
WHAT THEY DIDN'T BURN
The line of prisoners snaked its way into the barrack in rough alphabetical order: Salomon Lierens was just in front of Josef Lajtner while Marian Landau stood directly behind.
Inmate clerks sent from the main Auschwitz camp filled in the blanks on the registration forms. On the upper right corner, they added a unique six-digit number for each prisoner. After signing the form, the prisoners were moved to the next room where the tattooists waited.
“Make the numbers small,” Dolek whispered. He slipped the tattooist several English Players cigarettes. A needle fitted into a wooden squib rapidly punctured the skin on the back of his left arm. Blue ink was smeared over the wound and 177904 appeared in a small, neat line.
“Did it hurt, Dad?” I asked as a child.
“The tattooing? Yes, but it was over fast. What really hurt was the humiliation. I looked at my arm and thought, ‘Now I am cattle. I am nothing but a number.’”
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Praise from those who know
What They Didn't Burn
" . . . A remarkable historiographical achievement that blends the narrative pleasures of a detective story with the intellectual fireworks of a micro-history. In tracing the evidence and reconstructing the facts concerning a single Auschwitz prisoner, Laytner has made a major contribution to the history of that camp and, as such, to our understanding of the Holocaust.
—ROBERT JAN van PELT, author of The Case for Auschwitz, Evidence from the Irving Trial
"What a thrilling story of wartime survival! Mel Laytner has unraveled the secrets of his father’s past, balancing a son’s love and admiration with a reporter’s commitment to the facts. Chasing after hidden diamonds and digging up damning Nazi documents, Laytner weaves a tale of courage and luck that brings to life an unforgettable cast of characters. A great detective story — and an important work of history."
— ANN KIRSCHNER, author of
Sala’s Gift
“...A compelling blend of memoir and historical research, beautifully written. Laytner’s deeply personal story is an important addition to Holocaust literature, but will also resonate with a general audience as a historical detective story... Along the way he ponders how do we know what we know about history, and the lives of those who made it or were brutalized by it? How does one understand the ethical (and unethical) choices made by victims and victimizers alike?” —KENNETH S. STERN, director, Bard Center for the Study of Hate,
"I know of no other work that so eloquently combines a dogged search for a Nazi paper trail of evidence and a son’s reconciliation with his family’s Holocaust legacy. What They Didn’t Burn is not only an engaging piece of rigorous research, but also a harrowing and heartwarming personal saga of discovery.”
—SCOTT MILLER, author of Refuge Denied: The St. Louis Passengers and the Holocaust
" . . . a gripping detective story of a savvy journalist uncovering ‘what they didn’t burn.’ This beautifully written and deeply felt book, a powerful tribute to his father’s fortitude, also serves as a reminder that the long shadow of the Nazi past stretches over generations.”
—GABRIELLE ROBINSON, author of Api’s Berlin Diaries
"Mel Laytner’s book is remarkable. ... He puts his readers into every scene, astonishing us with surprises ...Never forget the Holocaust. You will never forget Laytner’s book as well.”
--Joelle Sander, Author of
Before Their Time: Four Generations of Teenage Mothers, awarded Best Book for Adults About Children by the Braun Center for Holocaust Studies.
