Based in part on previously classified documents, Patricia Posner exposes Capesius s reign of terror at the camp, his escape from justice, fueled in part by his theft of gold ripped from the mouths of corpses, and how a handful of courageous survivors and a single brave prosecutor finally brought him to trial for murder twenty years after the end of the war.
The Pharmacist of Auschwitz is much more, though, than a personal account of Capesius. It provides a spellbinding glimpse inside the devil s pact made between the Nazis and Germany s largest conglomerate, I.G. Farben, and its Bayer pharmaceutical subsidiary. The story is one of murder and greed with its roots in the dark heart of the Holocaust. It is told through Nazi henchmen and industrialists turned war criminals, intelligence agents and zealous prosecutors, and intrepid concentration camp survivors and Nazi hunters.
Set against a backdrop ranging from Hitler s war to conquer Europe to the Final Solution to postwar Germany s tormented efforts to confront its dark past, Posner shows the appalling depths to which ordinary men descend when they are unrestrained by conscience or any sense of morality. The Pharmacist of Auschwitz is a moving saga that lingers long after the final page.
Excellent book that appears to be well researched. Kept me up late into the night when was able to do some reading. Although had read a few books on WW2 and the Holocaust had never heard of this Pharmacist and others noted in the book and the brutality they meted out to so many innocent victims. It is ironic that although I had previewed this book several months ago but only recently purchased and read, I have now noted that Oskar Groning has died on Mar.9, 2018 which is less than 2 weeks ago. I commend Ms. Posner for writing this well researched book to enlighten the people of this generation who are still interested in knowing much of the details of this dark period in history. Thank you.
I have just finished reading 2 books about the concentration camps at Auschwitz. The torture and torment these people went through is unimaginable. The hatred one person can have against another and the lack of acknowledgement of wrongdoing is awful. Those poor victims had to relive it over again during the trials in which the accused themselves were able to question the witnesses . This book makes me thankful for the beautiful country that I live in today.
I couldn’t put this book down. It was so well researched and written and continued to shock how the human brain and even a whole nation and economic and political interests override our humanity to do the right thing. This can and will happen again as those in charge of the system took their place as leaders with only some tokens charged. The fact that the central character was so unrepentant defies belief. Please read and share what you learn.