ThIs an updated edition of the original 2009 publication. I read it again and it was worth the second read. The epilogue is updated to reflect Eva's activities since the book first came out and unfortunately her demise in 2019. I found some of her words epecially relevant in today's turbulent world, especially about inherited guilt. She was an incredible strong person to forgive what was done to her. I'm glad she never negated that, despite criticism. No matter which edition is read, it's a poweful story.

This is not a long story, but nonetheless extremely harrowing. Not because it is written that way, it is actually written in an extremely matter of fact way, detailing the events, but because it is a true story and about a set of 10 year old twins who were caught up in the most evil of wars, and the most evil of atrocities, that completely shocks you to the core. You think these things couldn't happen now? They were convinced these things couldn't happen then, so they missed their chance to escape to freedom with others of their family.

Eva and her sister Miriam grew up in Romania - the only Jews in the area as they lived on a remote farm. They got on with their neighbours, and must have thought life was good. When the war started they thought they were far enough away to be left untouched, but the attitudes of their neighbours slowly changed and they experienced antisemitism.

One day, the family were rounded up and put on cattle cars to be taken to Germany, and no one spoke up for them. They managed to survive the journey, as many didn't, and they then found themselves in Auschwitz. As Eva and Miriam were not only identical but wearing the same dresses it was obvious that they were twins, and it was this that saved their life at the time, whilst the rest of their family were killed.

Eva and Miriam had become one in a huge set of twins who were experimented on by Josef Mengele, one of the most evil men who ever lived. Their suffering at this time was unimaginable, and it was only due to their absolute determination that they made it through the war alive. Unfortunately the story doesn't end there with a happy ending, and Eva and Miriam had many hard years documented in the story before they found a home with people who really cares about them.

There is also a long epilogue, where Eva describes how she comes to the realisation that to move on she needs to forgive the Nazis who killed all her family and who almost killed her and her sister. Obviously this wasn't a popular attitude amongst all the death camp survivors, but it felt right to her.

An amazing story, told in a brilliant way, and one which everyone should read. We must never forget.

As expected, "Surviving the Angel of Death" was deeply moving. Despite having read dozens of stories, both real and fictitious, about the Second World War throughout my childhood, I am always deeply touched by the suffering of the victims of the Holocaust, and this book was no exception: it made me shed tears, especially the afterword.

Narrated through Eva's point of view, her story, told in a simple and straightforward manner, was one more testimony to the horrors of antisemitism and the Holocaust, a testimony that is needed so we never forget the horrors that humans can commit in the name of ideology. It's the story of a girl who was ready to do anything to survive the death camps with her twin sister.
Addressed to a rather young audience, such as middle schoolers (as Eva spares us from detailed descriptions of the horrors she lived in Birkenau), this book could also suit an older readers. The afterword, which touches upon the question of forgiveness, was particularly interesting — young or old are encouraged to think about human nature, about moving forward, about being survivors rather than victims, and choosing one's own destiny, thanks to Eva's wonderful example. I had already heard about Eva and I greatly admire her, so it was an honour to read her biography. This book is just one part of the immense heritage she left behind for humanity. May she be remembered for who she was and what she represented: hope and forgiveness.

This is a true story of Eva Mozes and her sister Miriam - one set of many twins who were subjected to Josef Mengele’s experiments during WWII. This felt more like a historical retelling than a fiction novel, and was a quick read. It is a miracle that Eva & Miriam survived Dr. Deaths experiments at Auschwitz, as many twins we’re not as fortunate. I really enjoyed reading this novel, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading history or WWII novels.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

In Surviving the Angel of Death, Lisa Rojany Buccieri has helped Eva Moses Kor write a first-person account of her Holocaust experience. Eva and her twin sister Miriam were just 10 years old when they were taken to Auschwitz. They were selected to be test subjects in Dr. Mengele's experiments on twins and separated from the rest of their family, whom they never saw again. Mengele used “his” twins to perform brutal testing, comparing what would happen to a person if one twin was inflicted with something but not the other. Eva had to use every ounce of her bravery and determination to see them through the war until they were rescued by Soviet troops. In this book, Eva also tells what happened to her in the years after the war and how, decades later, she made a public declaration that she forgave all Nazis. She spent the latter half of her life working to promote peace, human rights, and Holocaust education.

When Eva-7063 came out, I watched a screening of it at our local movie theater. While Eva was not able to come talk to us in person after the screening, as had originally been planned, we were able to do a video call with her, and I have to say, her personality on that call matched spot on 100% with her personality in this book. I remain in awe of not only the fact that she survived what she had to endure at Auschwitz but that she ended up in a place where she was able to forgive those who had committed the atrocities, and I greatly admire everything she did to further education and awareness of the Holocaust. I liked that this book was a first-person account from her point of view, that we got to know exactly what she was thinking. This book has been written for young adults, so there are no graphic descriptions of gore or such so it is suitable for children, but I would recommend it as a book to people of all ages.

Identical twins Eva and Miriam Mozes have a happy childhood in the small village of Plotz, Transylvania (now Romania). Their family owns a successful farm and, even though they are the only Jews in Plotz, they are well-liked members of the community. Everything changes in 1940, when the Hungarian army invades their town. The family is relocated to an internment camp with thousands of other Jewish families. Eventually, they are sent to Auschwitz and the family is torn apart. The twins become two of Josef Mengele’s “research” victims.

The electronic ARC that I received is for a new edition of this book. The first edition was published in 2009, and this update discusses the last ten years of Eva’s life. In her later years, she worked tirelessly as an advocate for other Holocaust survivors and Mengele twins. She continually emphasized the need for Holocaust education, so that the world would never forget Nazi atrocities.

I am amazed that I never heard the story of Eva and Miriam during my career as a school library media specialist. This book, unlike many others I’ve read on the topic, looks at the emotional impact of Holocaust events on a child and isn’t as descriptive as other books (“Night” by Elie Wiesel, for example). For that reason, it is appropriate for younger students- possibly those in grades five to six. I recommend this book as an essential purchase for all public and school libraries.

Surviving the Angel of Death is the true story of Eva Mozes and how she and her twin survived the camps at Auschwitz and the experiments they endured by Dr. Josef Mengele. It is a hard book to read but a necessary one. This book should be required reading for all students. It is short enough for students to be able to read with no problems and tells the horrors of the Nazi regime in words they can understand. In this day and age of rising hatred and racism, we need to be reminded of the past so we do not repeat it. Read this book and share it with others.

Books about Auschwitz tear apart my heart. And yet I cannot stop reading the accounts. Why? Because we need to remember history and what really happened. We are doomed to repeat history if nothing is done to prevent it or we allow future generations to not learn about the past.
Eva’s story is extremely haunting and hard to comprehend the horror. It is a hard book to not lose all your emotions. But yet she drew the strength to have it told to preserve the history.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

Wow. Auschwitz survivor Eva Mozes Kor retells her story of living through the Holocaust as one of Josef Mengele’s experimental twins.

There’s nothing really to say other than Eva tells her very terrible, horrific story in the best way you can. She takes your through her life start to finish, and the lessons she teaches are incredibly valuable.

I visited Auschwitz just two weeks after Eva’s death, where I learned some about her at the time, but this book gives a much needed extensive look at who she was. It’s a quick read, but packs in so much value.

Surviving the Angel of Death
By: Eva Mozes Kor; Lisa Rojany Buccieri
I enjoy reading about true accounts and survivor stories of the Holocaust. I have read several of these stories. But I have never read one about Dr. Josef Mengele, I have only heard about him.
This book is an educational, easy read. I liked that it told the back story of Eva and Miriam as well as what happened after, clear up to the passing of Eva Mozes Kor. Even though Eva was 10 years old when she went to Auschwitz you can tell she had the survivor mentality. The driving force, life optimism, social support, interpersonal connections, and a feeling of hope. When you read this book, you will see all those key things in not just Eva but other survivors her and her sister interact with. I cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like to be put through what these heroes have had to endure. This book is a testament to how powerful inner strength and the will to survive is, even in extremely adverse conditions.

****Disclaimer: Thanks to NetGalley and Tanglewood Publishing for giving me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review of the book.

Heartfelt and easy to read, this book is a fantastic view into what it meant to be a Mengele Twin during The Holocaust.

I enjoyed seeing the back story as well as seeing Eva and Miriam find their way home. I feel like those aspects are just as important to know about, as much as the atrocities of The Holocaust.

Although it dives into confronting themes and practices, this title isn't graphic or doesn't depict more than it needs to, to get its main point across. It is gentle in its delivery which will make it easier to process and to understand for a lot of readers.

What an honor to read the words of Eva Mozes Kor as she told us of her life, her time in concentration camps, and what it was like to be a victim of Dr. Mengele. Eva and Miriam didn't owe anyone their story but I will be forever grateful that they did. This will be a book that my children will read and I pray that it effects them the way it has effected me.

This book leaves you breathless, and shocked, and heartbroken, and angry. It is still, to this day, a subject that I read about constantly because somewhere in my mind I can never process the horrors of the Holocaust. However, this is one of the books that hits you to the core.. I recommend it highly. Still in tears.

Quite simply as an educationalist passionate about giving young people the opportunity to learn, to discuss, to become caring citizens I cannot recommend this book highly enough and I feel it should be in every school around the world and read and discussed as part of the citizenship curriculum.

My huge thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this new edition.

I really enjoyed this book! Previously I've read alot of holocaust-survivor books and I find them really educational and informing.
What I liked most about this book is how it's told from the perspective of a 10 year old girl, who just knew she had to survive. I love how you can understand her struggles, and feel her hopes and dreams for the future. You really want her to make it! She only tells of what she knows at the time and not adding all the information she got later in life. You get a sense of how unknown things where, and you keep wondering yourself what's going to happen to these twins around the next corner.
What i didn't like was the lack of information about the "tests" that was done. It felt like they were subject to very few "tests" from reading the book, and from other books I know that's not true. I understand that this book is men for a younger audience, but still it didn't feel quite real when it's widely known that horrible tests where performed.

Other than that the book is very easily read, and I would probably have enjoyed this even more when I were younger.

"That was the last time I ever saw my mother. And that is also the last time I remember crying in Auschwitz. My childhood ended that day, that moment."

I try to get my hands on every Holocaust memoir I can because their stories need to be heard. Humanity cannot afford to repeat such an atrocity, so I was ecstatic when Tanglewood sent me a free copy to review, and Eva Mozes Kor's memoir was worth every moment I spent reading it.

When twin Eva is sent to Auschwitz with her parents, two older sisters, and twin sister Miriam, she is only 10 years old. She and her twin sister are immediately selected for Dr. Mengele's experiments and they are ripped from their family. She tells us her story beginning before the war, and the reader gets a very clear picture of how tranquil life was on her family's successful farm. How loved she and her sister were by their mother, who doted on them and loved to dress them up and show them off. But then antisemitism begins to show its face and you feel angry for this innocent people that endured such ugliness. She tells of how excited she and her sister are to begin school, only to be tortured by not only classmates for their Jewish heritage, but by their schoolteachers. She writes that when they are just six years old, their own schoolteacher plays a short film for the class titled "How to Catch and Kill a Jew". I can't imagine being forced to watch that in high school, let alone the innocent age of 6!

Her story of just basic surviving, something many of us take with a mustard seed of thought, is absolutely inspiring. I would often have to remind myself I was reading about a ten year old girl. I won't go into any details, but I will include that a good portion of her story involves forgiveness. She apparently gained notoriety amongst Survivors for this and she goes into great detail explaining her take on what forgiveness is, and who it really benefits. I would recommend this book for that portion alone, even if you have no general interest in memoir type books. I did find it interesting that when she was speaking of her own experiences it was for the most part without any emotion conveyed. It read as almost mechanical and factual (even though you still see glimpses of her personality). The only time I saw any real emotion was when she was speaking of her mama or her Miriam. I'm going to leave this with a few quotes that really stayed with me:

"Crying, crying, crying. The crying of children for parents. The crying of parents for their babies. The crying of people confused and bewildered. The crying of people who saw with certainty that their nightmares had come true. All together, the cries resounded with the ultimate and most unimaginable pain of human loss, of emotional grief, of mental and physical suffering."

"At Auschwitz dying was so easy. Surviving was a fulltime job."

"I discovered once I made the decision was that forgiveness is not so much for the perpetrator, but for the victim. I had the power to forgive. No one could give me this power, and no one could take it away."

"Anger and hate are seeds that germinate war. Forgiveness is a seed for peace."

"It is the ultimate act of self-healing. Forgiveness has nothing to do with the victimizers. It does not condone them, excuse them, or endorse them. No one asks to be a victim. Forgiveness is the only power a victim has to heal, liberate, and empower themself."

*Thank you to NetGalley and Tanglewood for giving me a copy of this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review.

I knew Eva Kor's story before picking up Surviving the Angel of Death, but I couldn't help being touched just the same.

There are many survivor biographies/memoirs available to those interested in firsthand accounts of the Holocaust, but few detail the experiencing of Mengele's human experiments. Even fewer of these accounts are written for younger readers, something I feel important as I don't believe in censoring these realities from students learning about the realities of the past.

I also loved that the final sections of the book examined the controversial reactions Kor's attitudes and forgiveness inspired. The experiences of both her childhood and adult life are important, but I liked how this volume emphasized that Kor was also an individual and that her positions and activism were rooted in personal emotions and never intended to speak for the community of survivors as a whole.

i really enjoyed reading this book, it really doesn't hold back Eva's perspective is haunting and I really appreciate that she was able to tell her story.

This book was a quick read, with only 70% of the text comprising of the main story. The majority of the remainder is taken up by an epilogue, followed by a lengthy afterword, which I personally didn't find engaging and wasn't interested enough to read.

I honestly thought this could have been a lot better. Much of this book feels like it's been slapped together. I also think it suffers a bit from Eva being an unreliable narrator. After all, this book is composed from the memories of a traumatised young child. There are inconsistencies, repeated sentences, choppiness, exaggerations regarding time.. all of that takes away from what should be a very powerful story.

I appreciate the fact that this was written for a younger audience and the nature of the writing reflects that, but I'm still unsure who I would recommend this to. This book is stuck in a weird place where the reader can't go into it with too little or too much prior knowledge of the war.

I think with some tidying up this could be a great book, but as it is, unfortunately I don't recommend it.

I read this book in one sitting. I will read anything I can about the Holocaust, whether it be fiction or non fiction.

I’ve read a lot about what was life inside the camps and different survivor stories. I haven’t read many about what life was like leading up to life in the camp or what life was like after liberation.

Reading about how everyone in Eva’s town started to believe what they were being told about Jewish people and how they ended up being treated was heartbreaking. I can’t even begin to imagine being a little kid and sitting in math class and one of the questions in your book is “If you had five Jews, and you killed three Jews, how many Jews would be left?”

Eva’s determination to live and her ability to forgive after is just amazing. I have been to Auschwitz. I have walked the tracks, seen the remaining crematorium, stood in the barracks, seen the piles and piles of hair and personal items taken from people. There are no words to describe what you feel while your there.

It is so important to remember and read, as hard as it may be. They lived it, the least we can do is learn and remember. This book is geared more so to young readers and I think it’s a good introduction to Holocaust history.