Jack J. Hersch delves into his father’s history in this book Death March Escape: The Remarkable Story of a Man Who Twice Escaped From the Nazi Holocaust. After a phone call from his cousin revealed to Hersch that his father was being showcased on the website for the Mauthausen Concentration Camp. On the page was a picture that his father had to given to someone and after learning that Dave Hersch had gone back to where he had suffered, his son wants to understand why he made this choice and what his experience was like.

Death March Escape is a combination of genres with Hersch discussing his father’s story through retelling of conversations he had with him, his own journey to follow his father’s experiences, and the history of what was going on during this period. The elements of his father’s story are told in a way that makes the reader feel as though they are there with Hersch and his father. Readers also get the benefit of Hersch’s included thoughts and reactions to these stories. Hersch emphasizes that his father was open to discussing his past, but blames himself for not asking for more details and information when his father was still alive. In connection with this story, Hersch shares his experiences of walking through the same places that his father was.

Hersch’s book contains so much information and also emotion. As he is so closely connected to the information he is sharing he allows himself to reveal how he was feeling and how he reacted to the stories and seeing the concentration camps, as well as other places his father was. Hersch’s father’s story is one of survival and showcases his strength and ability to make it through such horrific experiences. Death March Escape does not shy away from discussing the horrors of the concentration camps and the Nazi regime. There are also moments focused solely on emotional and psychological trauma that occurred during the course of the war. After the text there are a number of images that will allow readers to see what Hersch’s journey was like. This is a lovingly collected work that does not shy away from sharing a great deal with the reader. You can get your copy of Death March Escape today.

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