Book review: The Pharmacist of Auschwitz: The Untold Story

 

This book is a non-fiction book that is introducing the life of Dr. Victor Capesius, one of the pharmacists in the Auschwitz during World War 2. 

The book is very well written, referencing a lot of further articles and studies on the WW2 theme; introducing also the most important companies of the period and how they affected the entire war. It deals with both youth of Capesius, his role in Auschwitz and crimes he partake in during WW2 in Auschwitz as retold by survivors and witnesses as well as the post war years. Large portion of the book introduces the trials of post war years with many of SS key figures, followed by actual photos referencing many of the important events. 

As a first book I read that in detail introduced the post war trials, it was very captivating to read. Majority of the books I read were solely focused on the issues in concentration camps, but failed to introduce the injustice that was still present in the following years. After reading this book, I was left feeling very outraged at least as it is almost unbelievable that everything ended the way it ended for Capesius.

Due to that, it was very necessary that the book containes an epilogue explaining that at least some sort of justice was established to the survivors and victims of Hitler's policies, even though related mostly to other characters. 

I recommend this book to anyone interested in the topic of WW2.