The True Story of a Very Young Prisoner of Auschwitz

I found this book to be very well written and quite informative. The horrors of WWII and the Holocaust are never "fun" reading, but I do believe we need to know history if we don't want to repeat it. This largely first hand account of one of the youngest survivors of Auschwitz was very interesting not only for the information specifically about life in the concentration camp but also about the aftermath of WWII and the difficulties encountered then. I find it interesting also to know what became of those individuals who survived, and this book gives us insight into that as well.

May we never forget what happened to the Jewish people! I believe everyone should read survivor stories during the Holocaust. Educate yourself on the past that way when history tries to repeat itself we will recognize and stand against evil.

Very disappointing. I saw the author on TV and wanted to support him and read his story, I was disappointed when I read that many of his memories were from before he was born - they were learned from his mother & grand mother, rather than a first hand account.
At two points in the book, the author mentioned that the details were "too much" and he couldn't talk about it - isn't that the point of writing a book?

It took a team of Polish scholars twenty-one years to compile five volumes of “Auschwitz 1940-1945” (published in 2001) It describes how Auschwitz was run and who the prisoners were. Out of 1.1 million murdered, 960,000 were Jews. The Soviet Army that had liberated Auschwitz on January 27, 1045 managed to rescue 2819 inmates. Among the freed inmates were 52 under the age of eight. Michael Bornstein (born 5/2/1940) tattooed B-1148, the protagonist of this remarkable memoir SURVIVORS CLUB, was one of the survivors, at the age of four.
I was liberated by the Soviet Army on May 9, 1945. During one of my lectures about my experience in the Holocaust, a U.S. WWII veteran approached me. He had been an officer in the U.S. battalion that in 1945 had liberated the infamous concentration camp Buchenwald in Germany. With tearful eyes, and in front of the church congregation, he said: “Mr. Wiener, for my children and my grandchildren you must have your life story in print.” I promised him, and wrote my autobiography “From a Name to a Number”
Hitler considered the Jewish people to be untermenchen, subhuman and therefore, according to Nazi ideology, extermination was justified. A student, in Concordia University, asked me once: “How could Hitler consider the Jewish people to be inferior; wasn’t Albert Einstein a Jew?” My answer was: “you just gave me a vivid example that prejudice and stereotyping is intrinsically absurd.” Michael Bornstein is today a scientist and his daughter Debbie Bornstein Holinstat is a television news producer. Among the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust there were many talented people, as they are among other nations. When individuals are targeted for their religion or creed, society as a whole loses. The need to remember the consequences of the Holocaust must transcend the tendency to forget it. Winston Churchill said: the Holocaust was not just a Jewish tragedy; it was the world’s tragedy, because the world did let it happen.
I applaud Debbie, (from “Second generation”) for helping her father to record his life story. I commend her understanding that the perpetuation of the Holocaust legacy is indeed imperative. People of all ages would learn and benefit from reading SURVIVORS CLUB.

My book club read the month of February was Survivors Club The True Story of a Very Young Prisoner of Auschwitz, a library loan.

And as I was finishing this book in bed, my husband called out and asked me to rub his hair. And while this is something I do that helps him fall asleep, his words, and the emotions of this read, caused me to weep.

I paused and stroked his hair and it occured to me that throughout our lives, we are comforted by a gentle touch. It helps to reduce our anxiety..... it makes us feel safe... feel comforted.

This recounting of the young boy, Michael Bornstein, a prisoner for 7 months inside the walls of Auschwitz, is a true testimony to love. At a horrific time, when it was thought that all hope may be abandoned, the healing of the suffering that he endured was because he clung to his faith in the belief he would see his Mother again.

We realize that those we love will not always be around, but as we hug or kiss them goodbye, it is always with the hope - you'll come back to me.

When war broke out and the soldiers invaded Poland, Michael’s mother was pregnant with him. Their little town of Zarki housed a large number of Jews and many of them were Michael’s relatives; Mamishu and Papa had Samuel and Papa’s mother, Bobeshi (or Grandma Dora) living in their home and when Michael arrived, the five of them lived the most normal life they could together.

Michael’s father, Israel, was ordered by the Germans to organise the work details, as well as choose who was to leave on the trains to be “re-housed”. His job was a heartbreaking one, but he found a way to help his friends and family. His ingenuity was to save many lives over the war years. But when Michael was four years old, the family’s luck ran out and they were all sent to Auschwitz…

Survivor’s Club by Michael Bornstein - what a heartbreaking and tragic story! But it is also one filled with enormous courage and the breath of hope. There are many stories written about the Holocaust; those horrible days when the cruelty inflicted by one human on another was commonplace. But this one is different. This one is told by a man – then a four year old boy – who survived those atrocities. Thanks for sharing your story Michael – you truly are an inspiration. Highly recommended.

He was born a Jew during the German invasion and Michael and his family lived in an open ghetto. Bribing a German officer, his father saved his family for many months with cash collected from their community. Eventually Michael’s family found themselves in Auschwitz, where they were the last prisoners to have their numbers etched in their arms. Michael, the youngest child in the camp is grouped with his mother (Mamishu) and grandmother (Babeshi) while his brother and father are placed in another group. Mamishu continues to care for Michael as best as she can, given the extreme conditions that they are in, hoping that one day the family will be reunited and that they will return to their home in Zarki. Meanwhile all around them, the horrors of Auschwitz descent upon them. Michael survived this ordeal as he was filmed in 1945 by the Soviets being “carried out of Auschwitz in his grandmother’s arms.”

I appreciate the author’s ability to reconstruct his family’s history and share it with others. I enjoyed reading this novel and I enjoyed the second half of this novel especially. I liked how some matters came full circle for Michael, for these matters became an emotional tie. This novel is great for individuals who like nonfiction, history, WWII, memoirs, or survival.

I found it interesting that Michael Bornstein chose to write his memoir Survivors Club as a middle years young adult book rather than as a text designed solely for adult readers. Throughout much of the era covered here, Michael Bornstein was either not yet born or a toddler with limited understanding and the events are recalled either through research or interviews with relatives.
The story is unbelievable, yet all too familiar for students of the calamitous 20th century. Some may think that the events are too grim for younger readers, but I believe that young readers deserve to hear the unvarnished truth, especially since there are so many Holocaust deniers out there.
A well written, sad and yet joyful book.
Highly recommended.

As you know, I'm an avid reader and I adore children's books. What you may not know is that when it comes to reading adult novels, I am a lover of historical fiction, especially books set during World War II. You can imagine how excited I get, then, when a middle grade book comes out that takes place during this time period. Especially when that book is pitch perfect, appropriately conveying the tumultuous and terrifying years that were the Holocaust in a manner suitable for young children. Enter Survivors Club: The True Story of a Very Young Prisoner of Auschwitz, written by the dynamic father/daughter duo, Michael Bornstein and Debbie Bornstein Holinstat.

Michael was one of the youngest survivors of Auschwitz, liberated from the camp when he was just four years old. A lifetime later - during the 1980s - Michael was living in the US and went with his wife to see a movie set in Brooklyn in the 1940s. During the film, the main characters watched a newsreel showing children liberated from Auschwitz. The director of the movie had utilized real photographs, and Michael was stunned to recognize his face in the footage. Michael had always stayed relatively quiet about his childhood; however, after seeing the film, and upon realizing that history was at risk of being forgotten, he decided to speak.

What follows is Survivors Club, the remarkable collaboration between Michael and his daughter Debbie, who painstakingly pieced together Michael's childhood wartime memories with photographs, essays and other documentary evidence to reconstruct his family's history. The result is a moving and harrowing piece of narrative non-fiction about Michael's life as a toddler in Zarki, Poland during the German invasion, his subsequent internment in Auschwitz, and the horrors and antisemitism he returned to after the war. Suitable for late elementary and middle grade readers, Survivors Club is an exceptional and important work that will undoubtedly have a place on shelves with The Diary of Anne Frank and Number the Stars. A must read for children and adults alike.

I am so happy that this book exists and I can't even imagine how hard it was to write. I have seen Hollywood movies about the Nazi death camps but have never read a true account of the horrors and heartbreak that took place. This book actually changed me. Talk about a smack in the face-a dose of perspective! My "problems" are not problems at all. Besides the obvious (love for my family), this story made me appreciate all the little things that I never valued so greatly before (such as a clean bed with sheets and a comforter, clean clothes, privacy, and of course, food). I think I kissed and hugged my 6 year old daughter several times after reading some chapters that brought me to tears. There is no measurement for love and for freedom. The things we take for granted! It was so difficult to read how very ugly humans can be and how quickly millions were brainwashed to hate others. I can't believe this happened and not even so long ago. Michael and his whole family are an inspiration to us all. Thank you for sharing this incredible story. If you haven't read the Survivor's Club it is a "must read." It is a book of real value and great importance. It should put it in all high school curriculums. Debbie Hollinstat did an AMAZING job bringing this story to life. I wish the Bornstein/Hollinstat family only joy and happiness going forward. Thank you for sharing your story.

This is a powerful story about survival and miracles amid the horror of the Nazi regime. Although the author was young at the time, he has a good memory and researched well the history. I recommend this book!

A different perspective of a horrible time in history that we must never forget. Young and old share memories of suffering, loss and survival in this moving story of a young boy's journey and triumph.

Thank goodness this story was told... it is important that history such as this should never be allowed to repeat itself. But it is also a story of love, family, kindness, miracles, and hope - "this too shall pass". A fantastic read for teens all the way up to adults. Cannot recommend it more!

The book is well written, however, I'm sure it was me. Although I wanted to continue reading, as I was very interested in the subject matter, I found it to be too graphic and violent for me right now. Yes, I realize one cannot write a realistic book of this time in history and sugar coat it. I've read many over the years.

I feel for me it was simply the timing. Unfortunately. There's just too much going on in our country and the world at the moment. I plan to hold on to this book and when these dark times, in reality, pass, I plan to finish reading it.

Saw authors on news last week and bought the book I could not put down. Inspiring. Tragic. Optimistic. I found myself rooting for good as this horrible reality played out and was not disappointed by the reality that life finds a way. Thanks for sharing your story. We must never forget.

This was a very good book about a young child’s survival during the darkest days of the Holocaust. Most 4-year old children would not be able to survive at all. This is a remarkable story of a child learning to do whatever it took to survive. Good book.