Not for the faint of heart. Jack Fairweather does not mince words when describing the horrors of Auschwitz.
I am trying to only give five stars to books that I know changed me. After reading Witold's story, I know for a fact this book has.
I encourage everyone who reads until the epilogue to read the epilogue.
"Against the odds, he succeeded in delivering his messages from Auschwitz. It was the Allies that didn't listen."

What different world would we live in if genocide is a sufficient reason for states to get involved in other states' business? How many people would be alive if the Allies had bombed Auschwitz when begged?

Would it have worked? Or would the Allies focusing on Nazi crimes have damaged their war strategy, like they thought?

What message would it have sent to the Soviets, that crimes such as mass rape and torture would not be allowed, when "liberating" Poland?

A decision was made to not listen to his reports and not bomb Auschwitz. Infinite follow-on effects from that decision impact international relations today. We continue to turn a blind eye to human rights violations.

I think anyone considering work in international relations or government should read this book. It humanizes the plight of WWII and of patriotic people who fought until the very end in a way that cannot be intellectualized and then ignored.

Expect to have to put this down multiple times before finishing. Know that it is worth finishing, even so.

Was that book successful with bearing that whole burden and trauma of those multiple stories it tries to tell? Of Holocaust, of Auschwitz, of that terrible Polish century, of those hellish politics of Allies, of communist oppression ... of Witold Pilecki himself?
Unbelievable task. But on most accounts it was. It’s crucial part - WP three years in Auschwitz is of huge calibre and importance. Bit less the introductory chapters and - quite unfortunately - the very last ones. Witold Pilecki in a way personifies that “Polish fate” of the 20th century. One of the greatest heroes of his times, murdered by a shot in the head in prison cell... by his very compatriots.
But I can imagine, that going in more details, would be unbearable for American or British reader.

Despite I have encountered practically nothing new, it’s been one of the most powerful and stirring books, I’ve read in years. One of those “life-changers”, if you only know what I mean...

4.5/5

Captivating and heartbreaking true story of Witold Pilecki, a Polish resistance fighter who volunteers to be captured and sent to Auschwitz in order to send information to the Polish underground.

This has been one of the most mentally detailed and personal accounts of Auschwitz’s atrocities I’ve read. Jack Fairweather did an exceptional job writing this book.

Heart wrenching history, but well worth the read and education.