Reading Log 1
The first chapter is a short two pages. The title is �Back to Dachau�. In this chapter, Birger is at a memorial service for the Fifteenth Anniversary of the Liberation of the Prisoners of Kaufering Concentration Camp. In this chapter, Birger states two important questions. He says, �Why has I kept silent for so long, and why was I breaking that silence now?� Birger uses rhetorical questions to answer these two questions about his silence. He states, �When the war ended, I decided to keep silent after I asked myself, If someone were to come to you and tell you that they had gone through such things, wouldn�t you think that they were hopelessly exaggerating? Wouldn�t you think it unfathomable that a human being could have been subjected to such horrendous experiences and survived?� and �How can you give your children the joy of living and courage in life if at the same time you tell them about such inhumanity, such injustice, and such atrocities? Isn�t it better to remain silent?�
As I read those questions he used to explain his reason for keeping everything inside and keeping silent, I realized that much of what Birger said is true. It is very difficult for people to imagine such horrific events having occurred. If I did not know of the Holocaust, there is a large chance that even I might have been subject to judgment of someone who told me of their experiences in a concentration camp. It is not easy to accept the fact that something so wrong had happened to the Jews. When people hear of atrocities and events that happened to such a degree, many questions come up. Maybe it is so hard to easily accept because people do not want to believe a human could do something so horrible to another human.
I am someone that really likes reading books about the holocaust. I think that what happened is really wrong and although reading several books will not give me a complete first-hand experience, it will at least give me a little understanding and insight of what the Jewish people had to suffer through. Many times it is hard for me to take in the fact that a person can do another so much wrong. I always try to give people the benefit of the doubt and even if someone offends me, I let it go. It is how I am. I like to have an optimistic view on things. I like to believe that although people are not perfect, that for the most part they strive to be good. But then again, how can one define what a good person is?
The author writes in a very comfortable tone in which it is easy to read and comprehend the message being conveyed. While reading this chapter, my heart really felt for the Jews who needed to go through such an experience. For those who have survived, I am sure that it is really difficult to first open up and try to tell someone else about something so terrible. In the Author�s Note, Birger says that he was only able to write this story because he kept his feelings in check and kept himself somewhat detached from the story. However, I still think that by writing this book he was very brave and admirable.
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� Annie Kim 2005