Salvaged Pages: Young Writers' Diaries of the Holocaust

Salvaged Pages is quite a unique work in that it is a compilation of numerous diaries written by young people who experienced the Holocaust. Some survived, many others perished in the 'inferno' that was the Shoah. The young diarists ranged in age from twelve to the twenties. The diaries were written by young people who came from various backgrounds and who lived in various parts of Europe such as Germany, Belgium, France, Czechoslovakia, Poland, etc. Some of the accounts are of Jews who lived in hiding, posing as Aryans, whilst others write of their lives in the impoverished Jewish ghettos such as the Lodz Ghetto and Vilna Ghetto.There are no photographs here, the only flaw in this book. It would have been interesting to have photographs of some of the diarists, showing their lives before the war, but this might have been difficult to obtain in the cases of the diarists who perished in the Holocaust. The editor has provided an extensive appendix and index, and this is an invaluable primary source for those interested in the Holocaust and for educators (especially in drawing comparisons between Anne Frank's diary and the ones featured here, focusing on themes, etc.).

Though this is a collection of diaries and writings by adolescents (ranging in age from 12 to 21), it's not a young adult book. It's more academic. Many if not most of the diary excerpts included are either out of print elsewhere or have never been published before. The diaries vary in quality and in detail, reflecting the variety of writers; the only thing they have in common is they were young Jews in occupied Europe. Each diary is prefaced with a detailed introduction describing what is known of the author's life and fate. The book also includes two excellent appendices which list other known young people's Holocaust diaries, and discusses other personal Holocaust writings that don't fall within the scope of the author's project.This is, I believe, a definitive collection and should be included in every library's Holocaust section. (In fact, after keeping the book as a reference/re-read for over a year, I donated it to my own library which did not have a copy.) I was very impressed by the editor's scholarship and the wide range of diaries included. I only wish the author would put out a new edition, since in the decade since this book's publication, several more young people's Holocaust diaries have been discovered and published.

It is always hard to personalize the human beings who died in the Holocaust. There were so many, and so much historic knowledge and cultural context died with them. This book gives voice and life to a wide variety of young Jews swept up in that huge event. Some died, some survived, but their young voices were preserved in amber by this diverse collection. This book was hard to read but it also remains with me as though I met each of them in life. I recommend the two appendices as well, which are a great reminder that the diarists preserved in the central part of the book were far from the only young people who chronicled what happened. May we always hear each of their voices in our minds, and honor them.

It was for a class I am taking. The stories are marvelous I am going to recommend it to others,

Actual accounts of some unfortunate souls who experienced the Holocaust first hand. Some survived, others did not. The most poignant essay is the one by Peter Feigl, who at the time he wrote in his diary was a very young adolescent, hidden in France. Other witnesses had very different stories to tell. To those who would deny that such things ever happened, these accounts must surely silence them. The book is professionally put together, with an eye towards the various ways one can implement "man's inhumanity to man." It grips the reader's soul. A must for students of history in general, and the Holocaust in particular.

I am always looking for other 'voices' from the holocaust. I've had many classes read Anne Frank's diary and other books that were written after the experiences as adults. This book gives a clear insight into the thoughts, lives, and writings of other children caught in the midst of the experience. The variety of entries provided comparisons with Anne's experience. We read selected excerpts and viewed the DVD by MTV at the same time. My high schoolers found the stories very compelling.

If you want a first hand look and experience of thise whoi suffered and died in the Holcaust, this book cannot be matched since it is written by those who were persecuted and died in the Holocoust. I dare to say everyone should read this out of respect for what those persecuted went though and what better way than through their own words which they wrote and hoped we would read. These are truly salvaged pages. It is deeply personal, powerful and important.

Awesome, awesome, awesome! My students love this book... I swear to you they just begged me the other day to let them keep reading after the timer went off. Includes a collection of diaries written by teenagers during the Holocaust. Each chapter begins with background information about the child before the actual diary entries. When possible, it tells if the child surivved or perished. If unknown, it sometimes speculates. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

A great read for anyone who is interested in the people side of WWII, real journals written by various young people about what was going on around them during specific stages during NAZI occupied europe. Most have been translated but they did very little editting to give you the real feel of the age of some of the journalists. I highly recoomend this as a read for anyone interested in WWII era writings. Takes you into their world not just the blood and gore world of the military campains.