Mistress of Life and Death
The Dark Journey of Maria Mandl, Head Overseer of the Women's Camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau
99 of 99 copies available
By the time of her execution at thirty-six, Maria Mandl had achieved the highest rank possible for a woman in the Third Reich. As Head Overseer of the women's camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau, she was personally responsible for the murders of thousands.
In this riveting biography, Susan J. Eischeid explores how Maria Mandl, regarded locally as "a nice girl from a good family," came to embody the very worst of humanity. Born in 1912 in the scenic Austrian village of Münzkirchen, Maria enjoyed a happy childhood with loving parents—who later watched in anguish as their grown daughter rose through the Nazi system.
For two decades, Eischeid has excavated the details of Mandl's life story, drawing on archival testimonies, speaking to dozens of witnesses, and spending time with Mandl's community of friends and neighbors who shared their memories as well as those handed down in their families. The result is a chilling and complex exploration of how easily an ordinary citizen chose the path of evil in a climate of hate and fear.
-
Creators
-
Publisher
-
Release date
February 6, 2024 -
Formats
-
OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781696614597
- File size: 310852 KB
- Duration: 10:47:36
-
-
Languages
- English
-
Reviews
-
June 1, 2024
Musician and educator Eischeid (The Truth About Fania F�nelon and the Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz-Birkenau) offers a biography of Maria Mandl, who rose to the highest rank possible in the Third Reich and served as the Head Overseer of the women's extermination camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Though Mandl was considered a "nice girl from a good family," she was swept up by fascist political fervor and committed unspeakable atrocities during her time at Auschwitz. This deeply researched account draws upon letters, journals, and firsthand accounts from Mandl's friends and colleagues, as well as testimony from survivors. Elisabeth Lagelee narrates the story, depicting Mandl's path, from her girlhood in a middle-class Austrian family to becoming an unrepentant woman hanged for her horrific actions. Lagelee sensitively relays the stories of Mandl's victims with even composure. The descriptions of torture and death make for a heartbreakingly tough but important listen. VERDICT An unflinching, focused story of the Holocaust, seen through the lens of Mandl's brutal actions and subsequent trial and execution. Devastating but worth every minute.--Elyssa Everling
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
-