If+This+be+a+Man

Type in the content of your new page her If This Be a Man by Primo Levi Reviewed by Michelle Pikovsky ** “We had reached the bottom. It is not possible to sink lower than this: no human condition is more miserable than this, nor could it conceivably be so” (Levi 21). ** //If this Is a Man// is a memoir written by Primo Levi, which recounts his  time in the concentration camp, Auschwitz, as someone trying to make sense of what is happening around him, and of human nature. When Primo is taken from Italy to Auschwitz, he is forced to live through agonizing conditions that dehumanize and end up nearly killing him. His story turns out to be one of determination and survival, which he tells without anger or scorn, but with great passion. Primo’s story is similar to many others during the Holocaust. It provides an accurate account of how the Jews were treated during the time by building up on small details of every day life in the camps. His experiences lead to show the cruel intentions of the Nazis. The memoir doesn’t mention the events that happen before Levi is shipped off to the camp, but it does supply the reader with the information on how the Allies liberated the Jews. The book also demonstrates the different roles and statuses that people have in the camps. The readers learn that there isn’t just the basic relationship between the Nazis and the Jews, but also many subcomponents of power that exist within the system. Although this book broadened my understanding of the Holocaust to a much greater extent, it was not an easy, page-turner of a book to read. The process of reading the book went by really slowly for me because for about half of the book, Primo was talking about the nature of humans and he was analyzing every detail of what was occurring. I would have preferred something that was a little more action packed. This book is a good read for people that like to ponder over the complexities of human nature and why people react the way they do to the things that happen to them. I would recommend it to an older audience then high school students because it goes into very great analytical depth and this may not be appealing for people of a younger age group.