I read this book last spring. I was reminded that I read this when I was looking for a bookmark I had left in this book. Actually, this book was a gift to me from someone very special in my life who told me that it would change my outlook on life... and the funny part is, it did! . I will stop your thoughts in their tracks by saying THIS IS NOT A SELF HELP BOOK. It is simply one man's perspective given the circumstances life brought him (surviving a concentration camp in Nazi Germany). The first half of the book is horrific, but just like his perspective, you need to experience that part of the book first in order to understand it! . I was very affected last year by movies like: "The Reader", "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas", and "Defiance." So much so that I went out and started buying books about the holocaust. . When this book was brought to my attention, it was under the idea that I should start with a survivor's understanding and perspective first, learning from what they have taken from their experiences, and then going off to read anything else I wanted about the attempted extermination of the Jews. Interestingly, after I read this book, I had no need to read those other books I bought... I was satisfied with the survivor's tale and ultimate outlook on life! RATING: A