An amazing story, to put it mildly. Even if only half wAs true, it would be UNBELIEVABLE TO THOSE WHO HAVEN'T had to deal with life & death issues. ( )

I recently finished reading several World War II Holocaust survivor books… back to back. One of them was a memoir titled "For Those I Loved" by Martin Gray. However, there have been a few reputable sources proclaiming not every detail in Gray’s book is completely 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 did embellish some of the facts. Such speculation is a shame because it casts some doubt on Gray’s entire story. A shame because Martin Gray has been authentically documented as part of the group of partisans who fought the Nazi’s from hidden camps within the forests of Poland, and later- following the Russian invasion of Poland, Gray joined the Red Army to assist in capturing Nazi leaders. Also, Martin Gray went by the nick-name Mietek in parts of the story and Jack Eisner- the author of the second memoir I read titled "The Survivor"- recalls knowing someone of that name within the Warsaw Ghetto, and meeting him again at another concentration camp.

Gray’s story begins in 1939 as Germany invades Poland. Martin was 14 years old at the time. His family owned a glove factory but the German’s forced them to abandon the business and their home and relocate into the Warsaw Ghetto. Martin’s father became an officer in the Polish army which left Martin, the oldest child, responsible for his mother and siblings. He soon learned that the only way to survive was through bold, fearless, action smuggling food and other goods into the ghetto. He had good intuition and discovered quickly which Nazi guards were open to bribery. But like most other Jews in the ghetto, it was inevitable that he would eventually be caught or simply rounded up with another random batch of people and herded into cattle cars to be transported to a labor or concentration camp.

He miraculously escaped Nazi hands several times but the things he witnessed were enough to make most people wish they were dead. At one point he was in a train headed for Treblinka… a ride from which there was no escaping. Martin ended up working in the “death factory” of Treblinka. His only salvation was his determination to keep living so that one day he could reveal the horrors he had witnessed. He kept thinking, “I’ll do it for those I love.”

" For Those I Love" also tells Gray’s story of working with the Russians and finally his encounter with American troops and freedom- a chance to come to the United States and start a new life. In spite of all the pain he endured, he managed to climb out of the depts of despair but only to see tragedy strike again. In 1970 while living in France he lost his wife and three children in an automobile accident. He was left in a vacuum, unable to function, or even communicate effectively. This is when he began to write his memoir with Max Gallo’s assistance.

Max Gallo, claims in the Preface that Martin Gray was determined to tell his story to preserve the memory of his loved ones, but was very modest and cautious and could not find the words to describe all the horrible things he witnessed. Max Gallo helped him put his memories to words. Whether this is a totally true story or not, it is a completely worthy read. It is the most profound survivor story I’ve ever read. Powerful, inspirational, heartbreaking, and agonizing… all at the same time. ( )

Martin Gray's true story of his life in the Warsaw Ghetto and the concentration camp at Treblinka. He describes his escape from the camp and his days with the resistance fighters at Zabrow.

This book is certainly an action-packed thrill ride; it seems almost like a shoot-em-up movie. If you believe everything Martin says, the man is a superhero. The fact that he's found a way to live after having lost his entire family TWICE shows that he is quite an extraordinary man.

However, I'm not sure I buy his story. I'm not saying he is deliberately lying or that the events he described didn't happen (though many people do call him a liar), but I am unsure of his perspective. Martin portrays himself as an almost supernaturally intelligent, streetwise, tough and clever young man, and claims to have become a major smuggler (rather like a gangster) in the Warsaw ghetto when he was only about sixteen. He recounts story after story where he got into a bad situation and pulled himself out using only his own resources. In the book's afterword he drops a lot of names, pointing out he was close personal friends with Pablo Picasso, etc. It doesn't seem real to me, and I don't think Martin properly credits the role sheer dumb luck played in his survival.

Other than Martin himself and perhaps his father, none of the characters in the story have any dimension. Martin writes again and again about how he had to survive the war and avenge his dead mother and brothers, but these people are shadows. He says almost nothing about them, not even their names or ages. I'm not even sure how many brothers he had. I think two, but possibly more. Martin was also attempting to tell his story in the honor of his dead first wife and four children, but again, the reader doesn't really know any of them.

This is not to say I don't recommend this book. I do. I would especially recommend it for "reluctant readers" who find books boring; this book is anything but dull. I just have reservations, that's all. ( )