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Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad: A Family Memoir of Miraculous Survival
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By Daniel Finkelstein
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4 reviews
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR Winner of the Slightly Foxed Best First Biography Prize 2023 ‘Epic, moving and important’ ROBERT HARRIS ’A modern classic’ OBSERVER ‘An unforgettable epic of a book’ DAILY MAIL From longstanding political columnist and commentator Daniel Finkelstein, a powerful memoir exploring both his mother and his father’s devastating experiences of persecution, resistance and survival during the Second World War. Daniel’s mother Mirjam Wiener was the youngest of three daughters born in Germany to Alfred and Margarete Wiener. Alfred, a decorated hero from the Great War, is now widely acknowledged to have been the first person to recognise the existential danger Hitler posed to the Jews and began, in 1933, to catalogue in detail Nazi crimes. After moving his family to Amsterdam, he relocated his library to London and was preparing to bring over his wife and children when Germany invaded the Netherlands. Before long, the family was rounded up, robbed and sent to starve in Bergen-Belsen. Daniel’s father Ludwik was born in Lwów, the only child of a prosperous Jewish family. In 1939, after Hitler and Stalin carved up Poland, Ludwik’s father was arrested and sentenced to hard labour in the Gulag. Meanwhile, deported to Siberia and working as a slave labourer on a collective farm, Ludwik survived the freezing winters in a tiny house he built from cow dung. Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad is a deeply moving, personal and at times horrifying memoir about Finkelstein’s parents’ experiences at the hands of the two genocidal dictators of the twentieth century. It is a story of persecution; survival; and the consequences of totalitarianism told with the almost unimaginable bravery of two ordinary families shining through. ‘Danny Finkelstein has written an elegant, moving account of the history of one family, and in doing so shines light on the history of the 20th century. If you want to understand Hitler and Stalin, read this book about people whose lives were upended by both of them’ ANNE APPLEBAUM, author of Gulag: A History, winner of the Pulitzer Prize TweetReviews
j.acton@harrytown.stockport.sch.uk
Daniel Finkelstein’s Hitler, Stalin, Mum & Dad is an extraordinary fusion of family memoir and historical narrative. The book sheds light on the personal costs of living under totalitarian regimes, offering a deeply personal account of the author’s family during the reigns of Hitler and Stalin. Finkelstein’s prose is engaging, and his ability to convey complex historical events through the lens of his family’s experiences is impressive. However, some readers may find the shifts between personal stories and broader historical context a bit jarring. Despite this, it remains a compelling and thought-provoking read.
This is a powerful and moving account of one family’s struggle against the actions of Hitler and Stalin. Yet it is more than this it is a testament to all the men and women who suffered at their hands. The book reads as a gripping novel but you cannot forget that this is story of a mother, father, grandparents and their families.
Anyone who doesn’t think politics matters should read this. The inability of people to believe the evidence put forward by the Central Association of German Citizens of Jewish Faith shows us how we must be forever vigilant when our legal rights or the legal rights of others are diminished by the state. The impact of removing people’s legal rights is horrifying, unforgettable and enabled the actions of Hitler and Stalin against the Jews. I was completely unaware of crimes of the Soviets and the silence surrounding can be traced to current Russian politics.
This book will stay with me for a long time, particularly the strength and sacrifices made by women. Finkelstein’s mother Mirjam who thought of herself “as a person, a wife and a mother first and a survivor last”. Her response to her son when he told her President Reagan was going to Belsen “ so what, I’ve been”. Betty from Nottingham and her actions, Grete and Lusia and their sacrifices. Alfred and Dolu were always supported by their wives in the face of extreme challenges.
I’m also left questioning why this persecution of the Jews, ( or any race for that matter), can this happen again, how will I stand up against racism? I agree with Finkelstein, politics matters. We must defend civil rights and we must stand up against extremism. Mirjam and Ludwik’s legacy was that of living with all that entails. As Finkelstein said in the battle with Hitler and Stalin the victory is theirs, a lesson to us all.
Before living in hell, it is necessary to travel there"
This is the very personal account of Daniel Finkelstein's family's journey to, sojourn in, and eventual emergence from the hell they experienced under Hitler and Stalin.
It is a visceral and devastating testimony of the human condition that, on the one hand is capable of acts of unfathomable and unimaginable barbarism, cruelty and depravity, and on the other is capable of courageous and heroic sacrifice, compassion and fortitude.
This sombre narrative is the reminder of human beings' vulnerability to powers that can easily divide us, rob us of our humanity, our value, our identity, our sense of belonging. "Politics had murdered... my family...yes, politics matters."
Conversely, it is an extraordinary story of the capacity to "transcend" a living hell, to choose not to be "overwhelmed", not just to survive and exist, but to embrace and live a loving life.
The mantra has always been Forgive but never Forget. While Forgiveness may continue to be debated, there can be no doubt about Never Forgetting - in respectful and dignified memory of those who have suffered and endured in the past, to ensure meaningful checks and balances in the present, in the hope of a more promising and peaceful future.
Stephanie Hoffman @ChwaeroniaethBC
There are many books that have been written covering both the ideology behind and the cold implementation of the Jewish holocaust some of which focus on stories of personal survival. This book, the story of Daniel Finkelsteins family showed the early growing disbelief among the Jewish communities the horror that came and the courage and tenacity of its survivours.
Surprisingly for me it showed the true darker side of the Soviet regime which is often missed or forgotten about. The darkness that begins in Katyn and ends in the Siberian Stalags. This for me was the 'new' in the book along with the work of the Jewish Central Information Bureau and how early they highlighted the rise of Antisemitism in Germany.
Stand out characters included Grete, Lusia and not forgetting Betty from Nottingham who fought incredible odds to bring their children through the horror. They were incredible role models and stand out characters.
How did the book make me feel, angry, sad and worried given the way the world is turning. Made me contemplate if I could have shown that bravery, or would have stepped up to deliver those small acts that contributed to their survival.
Michelle Wales @ChwaeroniaethBC
