Doctor Josef Mengele: The Angel of Death
(Holocaust Biographies) by Holly Cefrey
Hardcover, 112 pages, list price $26.50
Review from School Library Journal
Gr 6-9-After a dramatic opening that describes how prisoners were transported to Auschwitz
by the thousands, Cefrey details how they were greeted by Mengele, who decided who was to
die at once and who would be allowed to live as a slave laborer for a while. Mengele
studied medicine and became a doctor, but was more interested in the study of genetics and
Darwin's theories of natural selection. This background, plus his inability to continue
active military service after being injured and decorated several times, led to his
appointment at Auschwitz. Established medical institutions encouraged his
"experiments" at that camp and collaborated with him. The bulk of the book
describes the man's erratic personality, his experiments, and the suffering of his
subjects, especially twins. What makes Cefrey's book so interesting is that she spells out
Germany's nationalistic aims clearly and more succinctly than most adult books on the
subject. She reports that the German population, already nourished on nationalistic
folklore of a superior "German volk," was just waiting for a charismatic leader
to lead them back to the glory they felt their country deserved. Black-and-white photos,
some of which are reproduced better than others, are scattered throughout. Marcia W. Posner, Holocaust Memorial and Educational Center of Nassau County, Glen
Cove, NY
Review is Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Children
of the Flames : Dr. Josef Mengele and the Untold Story of the Twins of Auschwitz.
During WWII, Josef Mengele subjected some 3,000 twins to medical experiments of
unspeakable horror; only 160 survived. In this remarkable narrative, the life of
Auschwitz's Angel of Death is told in counterpoint to the lives of the survivors.
Echoes
from Auschwitz: Dr. Mengele's Twins, The Story of Eva & Miriam Mozes —
the story of ten-year-old twin girls chosen by Mengele to be "human guineau
pigs." Incredible story of Auschwitz as seen through the eyes of a child.
The Last Nazi: The Life and Times of Josef Mengele by Gerald Aster. 1985. (out of
print, this link takes you to used book seller). The playwright used this book as a
reference for the history of Mengele. Excellent details, good research material, sticks to
the facts. The motivations of this man remain an enigma. 305 pages with illustrations.
(Out of print - Buy it Used)
80629
: A Mengele Experiment by Gene Church. Details the life of Auschwitz survivor Jack
Oran from almost certain death to life in Dallas, Texas.
Mengele
- The Complete Story by Gerald Posner and John Ware. 1999. Based on over 5,000
pages of personal writings and family photos, this definitive biography of German
physician and SS-Hauptsturmfubrer Josef Mengele (1911-1979) probes the personality and
motivations of Auschwitz's "Angel of Death." From May 1943 through January 1945,
Mengele selected who would be gassed immediately, who would be worked to death, and who
would serve as involuntary guinea pigs for his spurious and ghastly human experiments
(twins were Mengele's particular obsession). The book examines the entire life of the
world's most infamous doctor.
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