The Survivor: How I Survived Six Concentration Camps and Became a Nazi Hunter

Lewkowicz makes the horrors of the Holocaust visceral in his unflinching debut. In 1942, a 16-year-old Lewkowicz and his family were herded into a cattle car and transported from their predominantly Jewish village in Poland to Belzec—the first of six concentration camps Lewkowicz survived. He details his brushes with death one by one, including a harrowing encounter with sadistic Plaszow commandant Amon Goeth (who was portrayed by Ralph Fiennes in Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List). The bleakness of the narrative, however, eventually gives way to a sense of catharsis. After the war, Lewkowicz was recruited by the U.S. Army to track down Nazi war criminals. One of his first successes came in finding Goeth and testifying against him in court, which eventually led to his execution. Lewkowicz’s blunt style (“Can you imagine such a life? No day, no night, no food, no hope, no respite. A piece of bread is your redemption”) and extraordinary arc make for sobering, unforgettable reading. This is a standout of its kind. Agent: Sarah Passick and Mia Vitale, Park & Fine Literary. (Jan.)