# Help! Need to identify book about the Holocaust **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 22, 2018, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-need-to-identify-book-about-the-holocaust/809326 "2018-02-22T07:22:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-need-to-identify-book-about-the-holocaust/809326/1 "2018-02-22T07:22:00Z")
While taking a political science class in fall 1978, I was assigned to read a gut-wrenching book about the Holocaust, detailing the experiences of people in concentration camps, how they coped, and how they made lives for themselves after being freed. I remember going to class the day we were to have read the book, feeling like you could tell who had done the reading assignment and who hadn’t: those of us who had read the book looked emotionally wrung out, whereas those who hadn’t were like, “hey, poli sci class, didn’t do the assigned reading yet but not too fussed about it, what’s up everybody?” But what book was it? Obviously, it was in print by 1978; that much I’m sure of. Subject to the vagaries of memory, I recall it being: - paperback - white cover with one or more people sketched on it - author’s name was Terry something - the title had the word “survivor” in it - in fact, I thought it was “The Survivors,” but I can’t find a Holocaust book with that title. Can anyone identify this book? (It’s the Dope! Of course someone can.) I found a book by Jack Eisner called “The Survivor” but it came out after 1978 so that cannot be it. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-need-to-identify-book-about-the-holocaust/809326/2 "2018-02-22T07:33:52Z")
nm this came out after 1978 ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-need-to-identify-book-about-the-holocaust/809326/3 "2018-02-22T07:44:06Z")
[https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01FJ0ANTI/ref=mp\_s\_a\_1\_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1519285332&sr=8-2&pi=AC\_SX236\_SY340\_QL65&keywords=holocaust+survivors+1977&dpPl=1&dpID=51sgFm0mcmL&ref=plSrch](https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01FJ0ANTI/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1519285332&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=holocaust+survivors+1977&dpPl=1&dpID=51sgFm0mcmL&ref=plSrch) New Lives: Survivors of the Holocaust Living in America ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-need-to-identify-book-about-the-holocaust/809326/4 "2018-02-22T07:49:04Z")
> [@pool](#): > > [https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01FJ0ANTI/ref=mp\_s\_a\_1\_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1519285332&sr=8-2&pi=AC\_SX236\_SY340\_QL65&keywords=holocaust+survivors+1977&dpPl=1&dpID=51sgFm0mcmL&ref=plSrch](https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01FJ0ANTI/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1519285332&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=holocaust+survivors+1977&dpPl=1&dpID=51sgFm0mcmL&ref=plSrch) > > New Lives: Survivors of the Holocaust Living in America I’m impressed - that fits my parameters very well, but I don’t think that’s the book. For one thing, I’m sure the author was a man. Also, I’m not getting the “a-HA!” moment I will have when the right book is identified. Thank you, though, it’s a really good guess. Your Googlefu is better than mine or I would have found this book too. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-need-to-identify-book-about-the-holocaust/809326/5 "2018-02-22T10:01:57Z")
I figured it out! My description was kind of off the mark - I was conflating several different books/topics from that class, I think (dunno who Terry was, but I’m 100% certain we read something by him). Anyway, the book I was thinking of is “Survival in Auschwitz” by Primo Levi (yes, I’m aware my OP doesn’t describe it particularly accurately - but since it has been 40 years, it is remarkable I remember it at all).