The Sunflower, Simon Wiesenthal
The Sunflower, Simon Wiesenthal
11 Rating(s)
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The Sunflower
On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness

Author: Simon Wiesenthal

Narrator: Laural Merlington, Robertson Dean

Unabridged: 8 hr 49 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 08/30/2011


Synopsis

While imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp, Simon Wiesenthal was taken one day from his work detail to the bedside of a dying member of the SS. Haunted by the crimes in which he had participated, the soldier wanted to confess to—and obtain absolution from—a Jew. Faced with the choice between compassion and justice, silence and truth, Wiesenthal said nothing. But even years after the war had ended, he wondered: Had he done the right thing? What would you have done in his place?

In this important book, fifty-three distinguished men and women respond to Wiesenthal's questions. They are theologians, political leaders, writers, jurists, psychiatrists, human rights activists, Holocaust survivors, and victims of attempted genocide in Bosnia, Cambodia, China, and Tibet. Their responses, as varied as their experiences of the world, remind us that Wiesenthal's questions are not limited to events of the past. Often surprising and always thought-provoking, The Sunflower will challenge you to define your beliefs about justice, compassion, and human responsibility.

About Simon Wiesenthal

Simon Wiesenthal (1908-2005) was born in Buczacz, Galicia, at that time a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He was incarcerated between 1941 and 1945 in Buchenwald and Mauthausen and other concentration camps. In 1946, together with 30 other survivors, he founded the Jewish Historical Documentation Center, which was instrumental in the identification of over 1,100 Nazi war criminals. He was honored by the governments of Italy, the Netherlands, Israel, and the United States, and wrote books including The Murderers Among Us, Justice Not Vengeance, Sails of Hope, and Every Day Remembrance Day.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Amy on October 12, 2022

The Sunflower was a pick from the Jewish Book Club for September, just in time for the holiday of Yom Kippur which discusses forgiveness. The tag line of the title is "On the Limits and Possibilities of Forgiveness." I saw that when I ordered and picked up the book. But I did not see anything else,......more

Goodreads review by Dagio_maya on January 11, 2020

"Dio é in vacanza" Simon Wiesenthal, scampato miracolosamente alla detenzione nei lager, è noto come "il cacciatore di nazisti". Dopo la liberazione da Mauthausen, cominciò a collaborare con gli agenti statunitensi nel raccogliere informazioni sui criminali nazisti sfuggiti alla cattura. Ne "Il gi......more

Goodreads review by Matthew on August 08, 2007

Wiesenthal's true story might just be a thought experiment for an Intro to Ethics course, were it not for his writing, which makes this book something loftier. Much less interesting are the short essays that make up the second part of the book. In these, an all-star team of moral authorities (includ......more

Goodreads review by Lewis on June 27, 2021

a powerful memoir ... and a question: what would you have done? all this regarding whether to forgive Nazis for their horrendous crimes ... if they seem apologetic and seek to repent ... my answer (not surprisingly) is NO! ... never forget ... never forgive ... all who commit hate crime atrocities mu......more

Goodreads review by Saturn on January 27, 2020

Simon, deportato ebreo, si ritrova al capezzale di una SS che vuole confessare i suoi peccati prima di morire. Di questo racconto di Simon Wiesenthal sulla sua esperienza in lager e del suo incontro con una SS morente mi hanno colpito moltissime cose. Nel suo libro Wiesenthal spesso paragona la condi......more