All but my Life: Chantell Jackson

The Holocaust, some people say it never happened. Others say that if we forget our history we're condemned to repeat it. The book All but My Life, by Gerda Weissman Klein describes in horrific detail what many people endured during this time. It’s hard to imagine the pain that was inflicted on Jews, homosexuals, and the mentally ill. It’s even harder to imagine that some people survived these horrors and lived to tell their stories. She begins the story with telling how simple life seemed to her and how at the blink of an eye her life as she knew it changed and caused unbearable pain for her and her family. Many people can read her story and feel for her but no one can truly understand what Gerda went through when her home, valuables, family, and life were snatched from her by cruel inhumane hearts. It’s unbelievable to think that people can have the hatred in the hearts for someone simply for being who they were born to be. How can anyone possibly go along and contribute to the extermination of hundreds of thousands of Jews. Gerda shows her courage and strength in describing how she survived concentration camps where she was forced to work the labor of four or five people, day in and day out. Many of us won't know how it feels to live on hope alone. Parting from her loved ones and her home proves Gerdas undeniable strength that doesn't exist in just anyone. I have an unbelievable amount of respect for Gerda and every other individual who was hurt during this time. By educating ourselves on an event so horrific, we can see to it that history doesn't repeat itself.