The Pianist: The Extraordinary Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-45 - Wladyslaw Szpilman

"The Pianist" is the true account of Vladyslaw Szpilman's experience as a Polish Jew living in the Warsaw ghetto during the Second World War. Szpilman was living with his parents and his brother and two sister's in Warsaw when the Germans invaded and very quickly over-ran Poland in 1939. At the time he was working as a pianist for Radio Warsaw and, poignantly, he was playing Chopin's "Polonaise" at the time that the station is closed down by the Germans. At first things do not change much but slowly the Germans make it clear that they have plans for the Jewish citizens of, not just Warsaw, but throughout Poland. (Of course, this was to affect Jews ...  Read the complete review

There are hundreds upon thousands of books about the Second World War. Some are autobiographies. Others are memoirs. Some just give facts about that certain time and the deaths that occurred. If someone asked to associate any person with the Second World War the name Hitler would most likely come up. A close second might be Anne Frank. Anne Frank’s diary has been translated into hundreds of different languages, has been read by many, and known by all. I often found myself comparing The Pianist to Anne Frank whilst reading. It wasn’t as long as a read but it was much more harrowing than Anne Frank. It’s hard to remember, though, when reading Anne Frank ...  Read the complete review