Discover the past and present stories of various survivors of Auschwitz. Whether you want to impress your Auschwitz tour guide with all your prior research, or wish to prepare better for an individual tour, watching Holocaust movies and reading Auschwitz books will give you all the knowledge you’re looking for. For your convenience, we curated of shortlist of the most essential media about the victims of Auschwitz and the Holocaust in general. If you choose to read or watch these, you’ll begin to understand the history of Auschwitz to a great amount.
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1. Schindler's List
This film follows the story of Oskar Schindler, a German intelligence agent and entrepreneur who successfully prevented almost a thousand of his Jewish employees from being sent to Auschwitz. It delves into the topics of human struggle for survival, the situation of Krakow Jews during WWII and the Holocaust. It was directed by Steven Spielberg and sweeped the Academy Awards with 12 nominations and 7 Oscars won.
2. The Pianist
The Pianist is a biography of a Polish-Jewish musician and Holocaust survivor Władysław Szpilman (Adrien Brody). This film tells the story of the Warsaw Ghetto and the resistance found within it. The movie was directed by Roman Polanski and won three Academy Awards in the following year.
3. Life is Beautiful
It's rare to get a comedy drama about the Holocaust, but the Italian production of Life is Beautiful certainly does the subject justice. This Roberto Benigni movie follows the story of Guido Orefice, a young Jewish-Italian man living in Tuscany during the reign of Fascist Italy. Him and his family end up in a concentration camp, and he sets out to protect them in the most unconventional ways. Guido, a generally cheerful and comedic character, is a shining example of sacrifice in the face of the horrors of the Holocaust.
4. Shoah (1985)
Shoah is the Hebrew word for the Holocaust, and this is exactly what this documentary focuses on. It's an incredibly comprehensive commentary on the life in the death camps and Jewish ghettos established by Nazi Germany in modern-day Poland. It sports an impressive, 9 hour runtime and made a great showing in every major documentary movie awards ceremony. If you want to impress your Auschwitz tour guide with your knowledge on the subject, or looking to visit individually with full context, Shoah is a must watch for you.
5. Europa Europa
The film tells the story of Solomon Perel, a Jewish teenager who was forced to join the Hitler Youth. It's a World War II drama full of unimaginable plot twists. It also shows the precarious dynamics of the Eastern front during the Soviet counteroffensive in 1945. It even managed to win a Golden Globe and an Oscar in 1992.
5 Best books about Auschwitz
"Night", Elie Wiesel
"Night" is a part of a trilogy of books about the Holocaust, with "Dawn" and "Day" completing the list. Many consider it the greatest series of Auschwitz books. It's a fictional tale (though based on real situations and events) about a Jewish man named Eliezer, who recounts the horrors of the concentration camp a lyrical, fragmented style. It touches the topics of unimaginable brutality in the death camps, the nature of the human spirit, and the role of religion during one man's darkest moments.
"If This Is a Man", Primo Levi
This book is a firsthand account of Primo Levi's one year detainment in Auschwitz I. It goes into detail on his deportation to the labor camp, his time in Auschwitz, the terrible treatment of prisoners by the Nazi Party, and struggle to navigate the various moral dillemas in such a precarious place.
"Man's Search for Meaning", Viktor E. Frankl
Viktor Frankl was a psychologist who used his traumatic stay in Auschwitz to create a brand new school of psychology. In his autobiography, "Man's Search for Meaning", he goes into detail differentiating the three types of fellow Auschwitz inmates according to their mental state.
"The Choice: Embrace the Possible", Edith Eva Eger
Edith Eger was a young dancer detained in Auschwitz in 1944 and was kept under the wing of the infamous Josef Mengele, known as the "Angel of Death". Her memoir shows a very interesting perspective on the Holocaust, as she managed to stay whole after living through the horrors of Auschwitz, and live her live with strength and resilience.
"The Happiest Man on Earth", Eddie Jaku
The Happiest Man on Earth is a story of a young Jewish man who was sent to a concentration camp in Buchenwald, and then moved to Auschwitz in the prime of his life. While the things that Mr. Jaku witnessed during that time are incredibly disturbing (and he spares no details in recalling them), he sends a message of hope to the world, believing happiness is the best revenge for the tragedies he has endured. That's why he claimed to be the happiest man on Earth. He is truly an inspirational character for anyone struggling to stay positive in their lives.