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Hunting the Truth: Memoirs of Beate and Serge Klarsfeld Kindle Edition

4.6 out of 5 stars 93 ratings

2018 NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD BOOK OF THE YEAR

In this dual autobiography, the Klarsfelds tell the dramatic story of fifty years devoted to bringing Nazis to justice


For more than a century, Beate and Serge Klarsfeld have hunted, confronted, and exposed Nazi war criminals, tracking them down in places as far-flung as South America and the Middle East. It is they who uncovered the notorious torturer Klaus Barbie, known as “the Butcher of Lyon,” in Bolivia. It is they who outed Kurt Lischka as chief of the Gestapo in Paris, the man responsible for the largest deportation of French Jews. And it is they who, with the help of their son, Arno, brought the Vichy police chief Maurice Papon to justice.

They were born on opposite sides of the Second World War. Beate’s father was in the Wehrmacht, while Serge’s father was deported to Auschwitz because he was a Jew. But when Serge and Beate met on the Paris metro, they instantly fell in love. They soon married and have since dedicated their lives to “hunting the truth”—both as world-famous Nazi hunters and as meticulous documenters of the fate of the innocent French Jewish children who were killed in the death camps.

They have been jailed and targeted by letter bombs, and their car was even blown up. Yet nothing has daunted the Klarsfelds in their pursuit of justice. Beate made worldwide headlines at age twenty-nine by slapping the high-profile ex–Nazi propagandist Chancellor Kurt Georg Kiesinger and shouting “Nazi!” Serge intentionally provoked a neo-Nazi in a German beer hall by wearing an armband with a yellow star on it, so that the press would report on the assault. When Pope John Paul II met with Austria’s then-president, Kurt Waldheim, a former Wehrmacht officer in the Balkans suspected of war crimes, the Klarsfelds’ son, dressed as a Nazi officer, stood outside the Vatican. The Klarsfelds also dedicated themselves to defeating Jean-Marie Le Pen’s National Front and his daughter Marine Le Pen’s 2017 campaign for president in France.

Brave, urgent, and buoyed by a remarkable love story,
Hunting the Truth is not only the dramatic memoir of bringing Nazis to justice, it is also the inspiring story of an unrelenting battle against prejudice and hate.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Riveting . . . absorbing . . . As their memoirs make clear, these militants of memory never lost sight of their goal." ―Benjamin Balint, The Wall Street Journal

"Exceptionally relevant . . . an awe-inspiring account of one couple's relentless pursuit of Nazi criminals . . . The Klarsfelds are reluctant memoirists, Serge explains, but their fidelity to accuracy and their humility regarding monumental triumphs of justice serve as urgent messages to us all." ―Elizabeth Rosner,
San Francisco Chronicle

"Assertive . . .
Hunting the Truth] helps us understand how these two otherwise ordinary individuals―a nonobservant Jewish Frenchman and a gentile German woman―came to devote themselves with such single-minded daring to the cause of achieving both justice and commemoration for the French victims of the Holocaust . . . The Klarsfelds’ success has been undeniable." ―Robert O. Paxton, The New York Review of Books

"
Hunting the Truth is an important book, with an immeasurable educational value. At the narrative level, the authors have written a history primer about the unimaginable cruelty of the Nazis and their willing French collaborators, whom the Klarsfelds helped bring to justice. Alongside the narrative stratum, however, they have compiled a moving treatise based upon their personal experiences." ―Mordechai Ben-Dat, The Canadian Jewish News

"A riveting record . . . Anti-semitic hatred, in Sartre’s formulation, “is first of all a passion.” By presenting their many years of struggle for a “great, just cause,” the Klarsfelds’ memoir affirms a far higher and more enduring passion." --Peter E. Kornblub,
Jewish Book Council

"Remarkable . . . Throughout their harrowing work, [the Klarsfelds] maintained a home in Paris and remain to this day devoted to and inspired by each other. A masterful work of historical importance." ―
Booklist (starred review)

"At its best [
Hunting the Truth] gives an exhilarating picture of amateurs assuming investigative duties in search of long-overdue justice." ―Publishers Weekly

"With bravery and chutzpah, a husband and wife demonstrate that there’s no moral compromise with history." ―
Kirkus

“This inspiring memoir of persistence and staying true to one’s beliefs will remind all readers that although it may be slow, justice will triumph.” ―
Library Journal

"The Klarsfelds, by their assiduous research and documentation, helped in the identification and capture of Nazis and others responsible for those crimes . . . The Klarsfelds will be remembered for their emphasis on using the legal system to try the perpetrators of the Holocaust and to prevent their rehabilitation as honored citizens.” ―
American Thinker

About the Author

Beate and Serge Klarsfeld are French activists, journalists, and renowned Nazi hunters whose work apprehending war criminals, seeking justice for victims and survivors of war crimes, and establishing the record of the Holocaust have brought them international recognition. Serge, born in 1935 in Romania, and Beate, born in 1939 in Germany, assisted in the capture of numerous Nazi perpetrators, including SS official Kurt Lischka, Gestapo captain Klaus Barbie, and Paris police chief Maurice Papon. The recipients of France’s Legion of Honour and Germany’s Federal Order of Merit, both nations’ highest honors for civilians, they were named UNESCO ambassadors of genocide prevention by the United Nations in 2015.

Sam Taylor
has written for The Guardian, Financial Times, Vogue and Esquire, and has translated such works as the award-winning HHhH by Laurent Binet, and the internationally-bestselling The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair by Joël Dicker.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B074DZ2QZM
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Translation edition (March 20, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 20, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 17.6 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 545 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 93 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
93 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2018
    It's amazing what two average people are capable of accomplishing. They are true heroes in every sense of the word. This book was very inspiring. I bought two copies and sent one to my cousin and already lent out my copy. The book is written in a straightforward fashion detailing how Beate and Serge went after the Nazis when the world was content to forget. Neither one had the background for this difficult job but they taught themselves: detective work, community organizing, public relations, speech writing, government relations, law and so much more. They used the media and creativity to accomplish more than any law enforcement officials and other professionals could every do. All while supporting themselves and raising children.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2022
    This is the amazing life story of an unlikely couple who dedicated their life to seeking justice for the innocent victims of the Holocaust
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2023
    Serge and Beata Klarsfeld are truly amazing people. He is a French Jew and she is German. In the 1960s they became involved in publicizing former high ranking Nazi officials who had aided in the deportation and murder of French Jews, but who had escaped justice and were living free lives in Germany and around the world. Beata especially managed to assure that the West German Chancellor was denied electoral victory in the 1960s and lost his position. They both were instrumental in bringing the villainous Klaus Barbie to justice, and many others officials responsible for killing tens of thousands of Jews. Beata never shied away from putting herself in harms way in the search for justice to bring these criminal former leaders to trial. Serge has written numerous books about the French deportations and has researched the topic more than anyone I suspect.

    It is clear that the Klarsfelds are highly idealistic people. They weren’t about making money but were focused on assuring that we will never again face a world with such hatred and enmity towards Jews. But they know that such hatred raise it’s ugly head at any time, and they have dedicated their lives to fighting that. They didn’t just limit their powerful energy to issues about former Nazis, but they have sought to publicize injustice by various acts of civil disobedience and protest around the world in places like Poland, Bolivia, Egypt, and elsewhere in Africa.

    While perhaps not the most coherently written book at times, it still makes the reader realize how the world is a much better place because of the Klarsfelds. I believe we need more people like them who profoundly safeguard the greater common good.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2018
    Beats Klarsfeld is a heroine and always will be. Her courage and determination are inspiring. She reminds me of a Polish woman equally as courageous, Irena Sendler. They share some of the same ideals, the same sense of right and wrong. Irena Sendler is Righteous Among the Nations. Beate did not save Jews during the Holocaust but she made certain their murderers pair for what they did. Her husband was pretty good too.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2018
    Until about 20 years ago I day dreamed that a ℗ knock on the door would havE both my parents saying "We found you" in Yiddish. this dream left me when someone brought the book about the deported Jews of France. then I fund out the information about their murder. As a 12 year old I refused to be adopted waiting for them. thank you Beate and Serge klarsfeld
    16 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2018
    Interesting dual reflections on two lifetimes spent exposing ex Nazis living in Germany but responsible for war crimes in France. Writing is more pedestrian than the excitement of the Klarfelds lives and somewhat repetitious.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2021
    History
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2018
    I like it after she describes going after the former Nazis in power. She spends a lot of time/too much detail, about her actions to protest Chancellor Kiesenger. This provides a good background regarding the need and challenges to bring her efforts to light but this part was a bit slow. After this, their actions to hunt former Nazis who lived freely in Germany and France is really a great.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Mike Powell
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Nazi Truth Revealed
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 26, 2024
    I wanted information on a subject I knew something about but had neglected in my thirties. The result was astonishing. It is a summary of German and French misconduct directed towards the Jews in those and other countries, told at a cracking pace. Those responsible for atrocities are named, shamed and, where possible, brought to justice. This book should be read by anyone in a position of power who might be tempted to do the wrong thing with the defence that "I was only doing my job or following orders".
  • Treebeard
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing story.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 9, 2020
    Amazing story, incredible that so many Nazis simply slipped into influential positions in post war Germany, with no checks or balances and in some cases with direct collusion. A brave and inspirational couple.
  • Sergio R.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 22, 2018
    A fantastic, illuminating biography. Very moving and full of passion and determination.
  • Henry
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 9, 2018
    good read

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