Schindler's List- Thomas Keneally

During my book shopping spree, I came across a very famous book, Schindler's List. I had heard a lot about this book, but anywhere I asked for this book, could never find it. This time as soon as I saw the book, I knew I had to buy it.
A few years back, I was reading Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf". The only reason I picked up the book was to find out the reason as to what good reason can Hitler give to brutally and inhumanly kill people belonging to one particular religion. I had read around 100 pages or so, when I just could'nt bring myself to read further. So my quest to know the answer was still not fulfilled.
Reading Schindler's list moved my soul. The book written by Thomas Keneally tells the true story of Oskar Schindler who inspite of being a German, saved more than thousand jews from the gas chambers. Oskar runs a factory in Krakow, which makes army mess kits, and later on polishing the insides of artillery shells, and for this he hires jews to work in his factory. In an atmosphere where WW II is looming large, Oskar bribes the SS officials to ensure that his factory runs without problems.

The book magnificiently describes the jews being taken away to Ghettos, and concentration camps. The author gives such a vivid account of the incident, that one can easily imagine the horror, fear that the jews must have gone though at that point of time. One incident truly shakes me, is when an old women and her daughter have to hide from the SS men who are taking all the jews to the capms. She takes the help of her neighbour who had promised to hide them in the cavaity of the wall in her house. When time comes the lady goes with her daughter to hide at the neighbour's place, but there was only room for one. She pleads with the neighbour to let both of them hide, but she refuses to hide the other. Thinking that its best to save her daughter, she goes back to her house crying and praying.

Schindler's factory was running in huge profits since the WW II had begun. He now needed more labourers to keep up with the demands of the army. Since all jews were now being transported to Auschwitz concentration camps, Schindler shifts his factory to Moravia. The only way he can take jews with him is if he shows them as "skilled workers", and ensures that this way he can save as many jews as possible. Inspite of being a war profiteer, he pays huge amount of bribe to the officials for each jew taken by him.

It's these "skilled" jews that comprise of Schindler's list who are saved from Auschwitz and other concentration camps. In another incident Schindler goes to Auschwitz to save as many women and children by bribing the official with diamonds. Any jew who wanted to live and escape the horror, knew the only way was to be in the "Schindler's List".

As the war ends, the book shows that now its time for Schindler to hide, since he is a German. He along with his wife, leaves the factory. He is given a letter by the workers saying that he is not a criminal. As a parting gift, the workers give him a gold ring with an inscription saying"WHOEVER SAVES ONE LIFE, SAVES THE WORLD ENTIRE'. A small token for all the lives he has saved.

Oskar Schindler later moves to Argentina, where he is a farmer. His last days are spent in poverty. It is during these times that the survivors send him money. As his health fails, on October 9 , 1974 Schindler passes away. According to his will, he is buried in Jerusalem.

Even after the book finishes, it leaves me completely shocked. Just the thought of the brutalities that these people faced leaves me speechless. How any ruler can think of completely finishing one sect of people, still is out of my logic. This book describes the fear the jews at camps live in, not knowing what will kill them, the illness at the camps or the bullet?

It is people like Oskar Schindler that keep our faith in humanity alive. Risking his own life , he saved 1200 jews without any ulterior motive in mind. I sincerely believe that no person's library is complete without this book. It hepls us in keeping the 'U' before 'I' attitude alive, the true Schindler's spirit alive.