The Escape Artist

The Escape Artist was a tough read for me to get through because of its subject matter. School education prioritizes statistics and generalities, glossing over darker details and lived experiences. The Escape Artist introduces the experiences of Jews in Europe during the Holocaust through the eyes of Rudolf Vrba.

Throughout this book, I was astonished by the mind and soul of Vrba. While his near perfect memory, intelligence, linguistic abilities, and survival instincts are worth mentioning (something that I would like for myself), it's his resilience to endure and persevere even through the most difficult and inhumane situations. His motivation to escape and warn the world never wavers, even if his ability and will to live, does. It is hard to stomach what Vrba and his fellow inmates go through, and what happens to the Jews upon arrival at Auschwitz. However, I found it an important read to better grasp and understand it.

Something I had not known was the role Jewish and Allied leadership failed to play in preventing mass genocide, as well as how information and truth will not always lead to a better informed populace. A powerful message that Vrba and Freedland hone on is how knowledge does not stem from information alone, but comes from the combination of information and belief. Only then can that knowledge be used to potentially save your own life, or give you that choice.

Superb. Freeland composes an exciting biography balanced on the precipice of the horrors in Auschwitz.