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The Diary of Mary Berg

Growing Up in the Warsaw Ghetto - 75th Anniversary Edition

Published by Oneworld Publications
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

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About The Book

The first eye-witness account ever published of life in the Warsaw Ghetto

Mary Berg was fifteen when the German army poured into Poland in 1939. She survived four years of Nazi terror, and managed to keep a diary throughout.

This astonishing, vivid portrayal of life inside the Warsaw Ghetto ranks with the most significant documents of the Second World War. Mary Berg candidly chronicles not only the daily deprivations and mass deportations, but also the resistance and resilience of the inhabitants, their secret societies, and the youth at the forefront of the fight against Nazi terror.

Above all The Diary of Mary Berg is a uniquely personal story of a life-loving girl’s encounter with unparalleled human suffering, and offers an extraordinary insight into one of the darkest chapters of human history.

About The Author

Mary Berg was fifteen when the German army poured into Poland in 1939. She survived four years of Nazi terror, and managed to keep a diary throughout. The Diary of Mary Berg is a uniquely personal story of a life-loving girl’s encounter with unparalleled human suffering, and offers an extraordinary insight into one of the darkest chapters of human history.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Oneworld Publications (June 12, 2018)
  • Length: 320 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781786073402

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Raves and Reviews

"Without qualification, this reviewer recommends Mary Berg's diary to everybody"

– The New York Times

"A moving record of terrorism"

– Kirkus Reviews

"Berg’s powerful record of those terrible times is astonishingly lucid. The strength of her memories and the intensity of her experiences are naturally heart-breaking. This extraordinary, chilling memoir is essential reading for everyone"

– Independent

"One of the most important documents in the age of Hitler"

– San Francisco Chronicle

"What makes her account stand out is her novelist's eye: this is not just a crucial historical document but a classic read."

– Scotsman

"Mary Berg’s diary records the dignity of man, his moral consciousness. Once again we are reminded that amid blazing homes, flame-swept streets and mass murders there were human beings who admitted no defeat."

– The New York Times

"Direct, sharp-eyed and full of compelling detail, this Diary is both a major resource for historians and a richly compelling human document"

– The Times Literary Supplement

"What makes her account stand out is her novelist's eye: this is not just a crucial historical document but a classic read"

– Scotsman

"Mary Berg’s diary records the dignity of man, his moral consciousness. Once again we are reminded that amid blazing homes, flame-swept streets and mass murders there were human beings who admitted no defeat."

– The New York Times

"Direct, sharp-eyed and full of compelling detail, this Diary is both a major resource for historians and a richly compelling human document."

– The Times Literary Supplement

"This powerful testament documents Nazi brutalities. Berg is a remarkably clear-eyed, skillful and heart-breaking recorder of thos terrible years."

– Publishers Weekly

"this is not just a crucial historical document but a classic read."

– Scotsman

"This book […] gave me nightmares. But that is how colourful the writing of Berg is, how intense this one family’s story is and how it can have an impact on the world. A must-read for everyone"

– Atlanta Jewish Times

"…book is gripping and reads well. It is hard to put the book down because Berg’s Writings…to share it with the world so many years later is a treasure. I believe it is a must-read for everyone"

– Atlanta Jewish Times

"Mary Berg’s diary reminds us, Jewish life under the Nazis consisted of light as well as shade"

– Jewish Chronicle

Short announcement of books existence

– Detroit Jewish News

"A heartbreaking record of [Mary Berg's] experiences growing up in the Warsaw Ghetto"

– The Good Book Guide

"The Richness of Berg’s memories and the intensity of here experiences record for posterity a chilling account of childhood during the Holocaust."

– Booklist

"I recommend the Diary to anyone seeking a genuine insight into ‘life’ in Nazi occupied Poland. An impressive and touching tale of survival."

– Barry Marcus - Past lecturer at the University of Witwartersgrand and Yeshiva College in Johannesber

"I recommend the Diary to anyone seeking a genuine insight into ‘life’ in Nazi occupied Poland. An impressive and touching tale of survival."

– Barry Marcus - Past lecturer at the University of Witwartersgrand and Yeshiva College in Johannesber

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