Mila 18

I just read 3 World War II Holocaust survivor books- back to back. "Mila" 18 is a fictional account of life in the Warsaw Ghetto. The story begins in 1939 as Germany invades Poland and ends a few years later with the Jewish uprising and the final liquidation. Mila 18 is actually a street address in the Warsaw ghetto – the location of the underground headquarters bunker of the Jewish resistance where the final battle took place.

The 2nd book is a memoir titled "The Survivor" by Jack Eisner. Eisner himself, not only managed to survive the Warsaw ghetto uprising, but also survived a death march, the infamous cattle car ride to the Majdanek concentration camp, a failed escape that resulted in a near death beating, and life in the Budzyn show more labor camp and Flossenburg concentration camp- both of these also extermination facilities.

The 3rd book is also a memoir titled "For Those I Loved" by Martin Gray. However, there have been reputable sources proclaiming not every detail in Gray’s book are accurate. A ghost writer- Max Gallo- a well-known French journalist and author of both biographies and fiction actually penned the story. Perhaps Mr. Gallo embellished some of the details. Such speculation is a shame because it casts doubt on Gray’s entire story. He went by the nick-name Mietek in parts of the story and Jack Eisner (of The Survivor) recalls knowing someone of that name. Martin Gray was authentically documented as part of the group of partisans who fought the Nazi’s from hidden camps within the forests of Poland. Following the Russian invasion of Poland, Gray joined the Red Army to assist in capturing Nazi leaders.

But let us get back to "Mila 18". One question that stayed with me throughout the story was, just how fictional was Uris’s story? Don’t you always wonder that when reading historic fiction? Thus, the main purpose for immediately reading several memoirs was to compare fact to fiction. Leon Uris clearly did an immense amount of research. It surprised me how closely the story correlated with the memoirs – including many of the same people, same streets, and same details of events. And to my surprise, "Mila 18" was an understatement of the horrors Jewish people experienced. Even Christians who aided Jewish friends and neighbors- or showed the least bit of sympathy- were tortured and killed.

The amazing thing about Leon Uris’s writing is his capacity to take real events, real facts, many of the real people who lived through this catastrophic time in history, and tell a fictional tale that reeks with authenticity and heart-felt emotion… including people of various cultures and backgrounds: Polish peasants, Jewish heroes, cruel Nazi war mongers, assorted street thugs, journalists, revolutionaries and the Zionist Underground. Portions of the story are told from the point of view of powerful German Nazis leaders as well, graphically showing the reader the barbaric, monstrous mentality of the Nazis.

Uris explores the mental anguish and guilt experienced by both Jews and Gentiles. To succumb to Nazi orders and assist in evil deeds, or even turn ones back and pretend not to see gave the appearance of collaboration with the Nazis. But to helplessly fight or openly defy the Nazis was sure death and a risk to all family members and loved ones.

Leon Uris is a wonderful storyteller. He explains in detail how the revolt in the ghetto occurred. He interweaves facts about the Jewish faith and the Zionists. He does a phenomenal job of character development and tells the age-old story of good against evil. "Mila 18" is an incredible story of faith, hope, honor, dedication, love, perseverance, and determination. Even though the Warsaw ghetto uprising had a tragic ending, it was impossible to read this story without praying for the victims, hoping that somehow, through a miracle that some of them would escape.

The only somewhat neutralizing thing about "Mila 18" is this: By being regarded as a fictional account of the true catastrophe, some delusional or perhaps wicked people on this earth will deny the Holocaust ever happened. Thus, fictional accounts can sometimes lead readers to believe the entire event never really happened. show less

It has been a very long time since I read this book. It had a profound effect on me, and for that I have marked it as amazing. Though I'm not certain how fond I would be of it now, I think that it made me search my soul for certain answers about humanity, its strengths and weaknesses. In short it is about war, genocide, the human spirit, and taking a stand even when you know the action is futile. Though, as I've recently read in another book, wouldn't it be far less meaningful if we knew that we would prevail in our efforts against death in its finality?

Een boek dat iedereen zo moeten lezen, opdat wij de waarheid nooit vergeten. Een boek over de verschrikkingen in het getto van Warschau, maar ook over de moed, de kracht en saamhorigheid van de bewoners.

Door te vechten kregen de Joodse inwoners hun gevoel van eigenwaarde weer terug. Hoewel de personages in dit boek fictief zijn, zijn de setting en de achtergronden van het boek wel degelijk op waarheid gebaseerd.

I read this a long time ago, and liked it just as much this time as I did years ago. It takes place in Poland, in the Warsaw ghetto as the Nazi's began their 'final solution' to the 'Jewish problem'. Hard to read and realize that it really happened, and humans can be horribly inhumane to one another. The people who lived through this were incredibly brave, and you close the book having great admiration for all of them. A wonderful read.

M18 is a fictionalized account of the almost forgotten Warsaw Uprising of 1943. Rich and resonant characters and a gripping narrative make this a wonderful and fast read. After QB7 this is my favorite Uris novel. So many of his books play a critical role in making important historical events accessible to readers who prefer human stories.

My favorite aspect of Uris's writing is his multidimensional characters. He has a knack for making people in heroic positions imperfect, just as all heroes are imperfect. That makes the stories so real and exciting that it is hard to put the books down.

After writing "Exodus", Leon Uris produced this novel, also a description of Jewish heroism. Warsaw, capital of Polnd was the site of two uprisings against the German occupation. While the one in 1944, when the bulk of the city was finally destroted by the German army while the Russian Army sat just outside town, watching rather than assisting the Polish uprising, this work deals with the earlier uprising in 1943 when the Warsaw ghetto rose up and died fighting rather than be deported to the labour and extermination camps. The tale is compelling and well written. The Polish resistance did not aid the earlier uprising, either.

A compelling book about the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. Not an enjoyable book to read, but very important to get some insight into the terror that the Germans/Nazis inflicted on the people they conquered, especially on the Jews.
The story focuses on a small group of people who show immense leadership and courage (and on a few other who did not).
One thing I do not understand is that there are two characters who appear at the start of the book, and one gets the impression that they will stay central to the story - yet they drift in and out of the narrative, and in the end become almost incidental.