COSTA BOOK AWARD WINNER: BOOK OF THE YEAR • #1 SUNDAY TIMES (UK) BESTSELLER
“Superbly written and breathtakingly researched, The Volunteer smuggles us into Auschwitz and shows us—as if watching a movie—the story of a Polish agent who infiltrated the infamous camp, organized a rebellion, and then snuck back out. … Fairweather has dug up a story of incalculable value and delivered it to us in … out. … Fairweather has dug up a story of incalculable value and delivered it to us in the most compelling prose I have read in a long time.” —Sebastian Junger, author of The Perfect Storm and Tribe
The incredible true story of a Polish resistance fighter’s infiltration of Auschwitz to sabotage the camp from within, and his death-defying attempt to warn the Allies about the Nazis’ plans for a “Final Solution” before it was too late.
To uncover the fate of the thousands being interred at a mysterious Nazi camp on the border of the Reich, a thirty-nine-year-old Polish resistance fighter named Witold Pilecki volunteered for an audacious mission: assume a fake identity, intentionally get captured and sent to the new camp, and then report back to the underground on what had happened to his compatriots there. But gathering information was not his only task: he was to execute an attack from inside—where the Germans would least expect it.
The name of the camp was Auschwitz.
Over the next two and half years, Pilecki forged an underground army within Auschwitz that sabotaged facilities, assassinated Nazi informants and officers, and gathered evidence of terrifying abuse and mass murder. But as he pieced together the horrifying truth that the camp was to become the epicenter of Nazi plans to exterminate Europe’s Jews, Pilecki realized he would have to risk his men, his life, and his family to warn the West before all was lost. To do so, meant attempting the impossible—an escape from Auschwitz itself.
Completely erased from the historical record by Poland’s post-war Communist government, Pilecki remains almost unknown to the world. Now, with exclusive access to previously hidden diaries, family and camp survivor accounts, and recently declassified files, Jack Fairweather offers an unflinching portrayal of survival, revenge and betrayal in mankind’s darkest hour. And in uncovering the tragic outcome of Pilecki’s mission, he reveals that its ultimate defeat originated not in Auschwitz or Berlin, but in London and Washington.
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Like history but, A bit too much like a history book. Would have liked his life fleshed out a bit more.
One of the best book of its kind I have ever read. Gives a new perspective on the Holocaust from a non-Jewish person. Great history and holds nothing back when describing the anti-semitism throughout the world.
Jack Fairweather is a journalist and I have come across his articles in my daily paper from time to time. It was good to know that the subject matter in this book was in very good hands. Meticulously researched, this is the story of Witold Pilecki. Born on May 13th, 1901, Witold became a cavalry officer in the Polish army. He fought in the Polish-Soviet conflict and subsequently joined the reservists. He was mobilised again in August 1939 and fought for his country. In September 1939, The Soviet Union invaded Poland and the city of Warsaw fell. Pilecki went into hiding and began to work in the resistance. Fairweather’s book picks up the story from this point.
Using archive material, witness statements, interviews and some reports written by Pilecki himself, Fairweather has put together a detailed, almost day by day account of Pilecki’s life during the 1939/45 war. The book covers his time in Auschwitz, the privations suffered and at times, is difficult to read. But the narrative style flows and although completely factual, it feels as though you are reading a novel.
A fascinating slice of history that had to be made known. It is a story that is all the more poignant when you discover what happened to Pilecki once the 1939/45 conflict had ended and the Paris Peace Treaties were signed.
Non-fiction. This one was a punch in the gut.
The Volunteer is the true story of Witold Pilecki, a Polish resistance fighter who, choosing country over family, purposely got captured so he could be sent to Auschwitz. (Yes, you read that right. No, he had no clue how terrible Auschwitz would become.) His motive was to organize opposition in the concentration camp and report to the outside world what was occurring behind the closed gates. (Work Shall Set You Free.) The evolution of Auschwitz into a Nazi exterminating factory takes place during his tenure. The Final Solution was in its early days at the dawn of the 1940’s and Pilecki held a front row ticket. This is a tough book to read. This story puts you in Auschwitz—and like Pilecki, you wonder why you volunteered. There are lessons to be learned, but I’ll leave that to more capable hands—and those who can stomach the unfathomable atrocities of man against man.
Of man against women and children.
Superbly written and breathtakingly researched, The Volunteer smuggles us into Auschwitz and shows us — as if watching a movie — the story of a Polish agent who infiltrated the infamous camp, organized a rebellion, and then snuck back out. We are squarely confronted with the other human truth: ordinary people will happily risk their lives to help others. Fairweather has dug up a story of incalculable value and delivered it to us in the most compelling prose I have read in a long time.