The Bielski Brothers: The True Story of Three Men Who Defied the Nazis, Built a Village in the Forest, and Saved 1,200 Jews

I'm reading about how awesome the BIELSKI brother's were. I didn't know this until I started reading this book. I enjoyed the history the author put in as well~

A story that needs to be told about the Nazis trying to eradicate Jews in WW2. These brother were real heroes and their story is amazing, the movie is fun but not too accurate, this is better.

The story of these brothers and their plight, along with those they sheltered, and that of the Jewish populace in the region, is more fantastic than even the movie could convey. The hardships and threats to the group's survival were even greater to the brothers and their group than indicated in the movie. The book covers in detail the mass killings and attacks that took two of the brother's wives, a child, their parents, and two other brothers, and the brothers' efforts to convince and assist Jews in escaping their captors. What is also not in the movie: they actually were forced to move their camp many times to escape the Germans; the population was often separated into two or three different camps at a time; their existence was threatened not only by the Germans, but also the local police working for the Germans, many local peasants (some of who were rewarded for turning in Jews), Polish partisans, and Russian partisans. Some malcontents in the camp tried to convince the Russians the Bielski brothers were not loyal to their cause. It was only Tuvia's diplomatic skills and efforts that kept them shielded from Russian efforts to strip the group of their fighters and leave the old, young, weak, and the women to fend for themselves, and the Russians from carrying out an execution order on one of the brothers.The book is informative and well-written, but I did not find it engrossing. It is written more in the fashion of "this is what occurred," vs. "you are there," which the best authors are able to do to make it more of an emotional experience. Never-the-less, a good, informative, balanced book by this first-time author, and I recommend it. I just wish some reviewers would stick to reviewing the book itself, not their story or the movie.

This book is expertly researched and well written. It tells the true story of the Bielski brothers and the people they saved. It brings the story to life and I warmly recommend it to others.The book covers a dark time for humanity. It highlights and illustrates by action both sides of the story --showing the depths of depravity instigated by the Nazi's and their collaborators, and the heights of bravery and hope against unbelievable odds by the Bielski's and their people. The historical brief and the family history prior to the Bielski's taking to the forest, helps set the background to this greater than life story. The insight into the brother's thinking explains why they took the action that they did, instead of just focusing on taking revenge --a choice that at first seems less than rational and later seems clear and unavoidable.My wife and I read the story together, taking in the scenes one at a time and then discussed them. We had a hard time reading this well told story because it came to life through the pages and the passage of time. It is a hard story to take in, and at the same time, it is a great and inspiring story. It is a strong tale that shows the other Jew of the period --the one that was proud of being a Jew, the one that refused to be a victim despite the likelihood of dieing and the one that fought back, knowing that it's not worth living when the price for doing so is your soul.To me, it is also a very relevant story for several personal reasons, but one public aspect, at least to me is its relevance to free people. The background of the story, the rise to power of the Nazi empire and their truly evil deeds, illustrates what happens when freedom is taken for granted, when lies propagate unchecked , when bigotry is hailed as a uniting force, and worst of all, when good people choose to do nothing and let evil triumph. It happened before in an enlightened land, and yes, it can happen again.

Arrived quickly and in good condition. I would order from here again.

Life in the forest and skills to survive in the open.....

A fascinating read that is a good find for those who are interested in learning real-life history of an era that is too often overlooked. The courage of these people is inspiring and needs to be applauded by passing on the word about this book. Don't want to spoil the contents to the reader - get it and find out what these people were truly 'made of' and made their mark on history in a remarkable way. Set aside other books of 'fluff-stuff' of sheer entertaining fiction and READ this book in entirety! You will never regret it - and never forget it. :)

After seeing the Holocaust movie "Defiance", I had some unanswered questions about the heroic Bielski Brothers--what country did they live in? How did they learn to speak fluent German and Russian? Why did they disagree with one another? What happened to them after the war? So I purchased the book "The Bielski Brothers: The True Story of Three Men Who Defied the Nazis, Built a Village in the Forest, and Saved 1,200 Jews". This filled in the blanks for me. The book becomes a little dry when it lapses into simply repeating historical records; it's better when it gets into characterizing each of the brothers and describing their different personalities. The movie and the book are good complements to each other--the book tells the facts of their story, and the movie captures the drama, passion, tragedy and horror of the Holocaust. It is difficult to watch but well worthwhile.

I didn't like the author's style, but this is an amazingly true story of Jewish survival in Belarus in WWII, an area that isn't normally covered by other war books and films. I'd seen a drama of the story and wanted to read more. These amazing Jewish brothers managed to not only save people, but also rescue them from ghettoes, and they took a few Gentiles as well. There are detailed reference notes at the end, photos in the middle and an update about what happened to various members of the 1,000+ saved in an epilogue. To get a different perspective on the war, this is a must read.

A little long-winded and repetitive. Unfortunately the Bielski brothers can't agree on whether to save Jews or fight Germans and this turns it into a squabble rather than a close account of one of the battles the Jews won.

An incredible story of courage and commitment to others. A book everyone should read at some point in their lives as it shows hope and decency can overcome the most monstrous barbarism. Only downside for me was the writing style. There is no flow to it, just stop, start which makes it a bit frustrating to read. The author is never able to portray the depth you feel when watching the film which is a bit disappointing.

Good book, good condition

I've always loved this true story which I've watched on TV many times - The book is even better!