A really graphic and emotional story by this inspirational lady Edith Egar what she and her family lived through was harrowing and heartbreaking and as she tells her story you feel her strength and courage in every breath and what she achieved in n her life and who she became was truly remarkable a true story and I feel humbled and grateful to this special lady for writing her story a lady who suffered so much and came out the other side fantastic and poignant read

This biography/memoir of Edith Eger is an amazing recollection of what happened to her as a teenager when Hitlers’ plan to kill millions of Jews, and others, before and during the Second World War reached Hungary. What happened to Edith and her family, and many millions of Jews, was horrific. Murder planned and executed on a huge scale that we now refer to as the Holocaust.

This is not always easy reading and yet it is an uplifting story of one woman who survived and went on to help so many others suffering from various traumas.

The book tells of her time in Auschwitz, how she was found and what she did with her life afterwards. Meeting Bela, moving to the US, her family, working, studying and ultimately freeing herself – and others – in order to live fulfilling and happy lives.

This is an important message – of hope, of forgiveness, of choice – not condoning what happened to her or to those she now helps but taking back your life by understanding that you have choice even in the most appalling of situations in order to keep yourself….. you.

It is wonderful to read how Edith took what had happened and used it to help so many other people who have suffered and still are suffering. The Choice is an amazing book about an amazing woman and I strongly recommend reading it.

Find Edith on Facebook, there’s a look at the bottom of the page, to see more of what she thinks and does.

With thanks to Penguin Random House UK, Ebury Publishing via NetGalley for an ebook of The Choice in return for an honest review. I have not received any payment in relation to my review.

#TheChoice #NetGalley

Rating: 4.5*

It's not often you come across a book has moving has this.
Amongst the cruelty, heartache and sadness, it if full of inspiration, strength and hope to move on after trauma and shows you are once again able to flourish and prosper in day to day life.

Thank you Edith Egar for sharing your story.

Thank you netgalley and Ebury digital for allowing me to read and review this book.

The Choice by Edith Eger is a beautiful book. When she was just 16 years old Dr Edith Eger was sent to Auschwitz with her parents and her sister, by that evening she was an orphan. The Choice tells the reader about the ordeals she faced at Auschwitz but also how she was ultimately able to forgive her captors and most importantly to forgive herself.

The Choice is not just a sad book it is a book filled with hope.

After Auschwitz Edith Eger was able to use her experiences to aid her in her work as a psychologist but also how her past continued to haunt her.

“My past still haunted me: an anxious, dizzy feeling every time I heard sirens, or heavy footsteps, or shouting. But over time I learned that I can choose how to respond to the past. I can be miserable, or I can be hopeful. I can be depressed, or I can be happy. We always have the choice, that opportunity for control.”

For years she chose not to talk about her past even with her children but at some point, she realised that while she held on tight to her the secrets of the past they still had a hold on her as well.

The author doesn’t want people to hear her story and think how much worse she has suffered or that your suffering is insignificant. She wants to inspire, to show that if she can survive and thrive then anyone can.

Edith emphasises that everything in her life has been about choices in one way or another and that every choice is significant.

She talks about life with her family before they were sent to Auschwitz and anti-Semitism wasn’t a construct of the Nazi’s.

“Growing up. I internalised a sense of inferiority and the belief that it was safer not to admit that I was Jewish, that it was safer to assimilate, to blend in, to never stand out. It was difficult to find a sense of identity and belonging.”

When the Nazi’s came for them they were only allowed one suitcase between the four of them. Her mother filled it with practical things like food. Before they left each other for the last time her mother imparted on her a final wisdom which would come in useful ‘No one can take away what you have in your mind.’

In the early days at Auschwitz she was asked to dance for Dr Mengele, The Angel of Death.

“As I dance, I discover a piece of wisdom that I have never forgotten. I will never know what miracle of grace allows me this insight. It will save my life many times, even after the horror is over. I can see that Dr Mengale, the seasoned killer who just this morning murdered my mother, is more pitiful than me. I am free in my mind which he can never be. He will always have to live with what he’s done. He is more a prisoner than I am.”

For the author life after the Nazis was a struggle in its own way. Not only did she have to deal with the loss of her parents and many other people she knew but she also had to deal with many other losses such as the fact that her parents would never see her walk down the aisle or meet their grandchildren.

The most important message of The Choice is one that can apply to other situations as well.

“We can choose to be our own jailors, or we can choose to be free.”

This was a well-written and inspirational book.

Absolutely wonderful book. I am a history student and find accounts like this truly fascinating. Edith was taken to Auschwitz with her family in 1944 when they believed Jews were being sent to work as opposed to being sent to their deaths. Miraculously she and her sister survived and her account of their experience is horrific whilst totally captivating. We follow Edith, from her childhood in Hungary, to America where she emigrated after her the end of the war. She is unfailingly honest, at times brutally so, about her recovery and her relationship with her husband. Edith goes on to become a qualified clinical psychologist and the stories she tells about her patients are intriguing and extremely relevant to the story. Since finishing the book, I have gone on to read much more about Edith's life and she is a truly inspirational woman who I admire tremendously.
This book is one which I would recommend to everyone to read, it is an accurate historical account of the Holocaust, an extremely personal story of one family's suffering and the portrait of a truly inspirational woman who deserves to have her story told. Humbling and inspiring.

I was sent a copy of The Choice by Edith Eger to read and review by NetGalley.
This is an amazing book which I believe should be part of the national curriculum in every school in the land. Apart from being a first-hand account of the terror and horror of war and of being interned in Auschwitz, an event that should never ever be forgotten however many years have passed, it is also an amazing insight into the strength of the human mind and how freedom can be obtained by acceptance and forgiveness. This is a very simplified way of explaining this premise, what the author actually does is to give examples of very different situations where people have attended her clinic for psychiatric help and she explains her treatment and the results she achieves in gently helping to turn their lives around, learning more about herself and her own healing in the process. I believe that if teenagers were to read this book they may better understand how to cope with their own feelings and what they may do to prevent certain situations or conditions within themselves from happening or find the strength to cope with their own healing.
Edith Eger eloquently tells the amazing and truly heart wrenching and astonishing story of her life. I have so much admiration for her, what she has been through and what she has achieved. I was totally engrossed throughout the whole book and I admit I went straight into the author’s writing, as I always do, leaving any forwards or introductions by others until the end as first and foremost I want to hear what the author has to say. I would not necessarily say that this is an easy read but it is easily read, if you can understand what I mean. The subject is harrowing but also insightful and inspirational and in my opinion an absolute must read.

This is an amazing book. Edith Eger has been through so much in life. She is definitely a survivor. She is inspirational. Her story is really powerful and definitely worth reading. She has helped so many people through counselling and giving talks. This is a book I will definitely read again and I would definitely recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

A brilliant autobiography by a women who at sixteen was sent to Auschwitz and is a true survivor of the Holocaust. Edith is recused by american soldiers and this book followed her and her family growing up in America .
This book covers her thoughts and feeling though out life, a real eye opener at every page. It shows the struggles in which Edith had with her feeling and how she became a clinical psychologist, who now helps others.
Full of love, lost and a 101 other emotions, this book is a roller coaster of one brave women's life.

The Choice isn’t the kind of book I usually review. I don’t often write about autobiography or about psychology, but Edith Eger’s story is remarkable. Sent to Auschwitz at sixteen, Edith is a survivor of the Holocaust whose journey to freedom is all about the choices we as individuals are free to make. She recounts the story of her time at Auschwitz, her rescue by American soldiers, and her journey through life as she has her own family and emigrates to America.

Despite the seeming freedom that the end of the war brings, Edith does not feel free. She feels imprisoned by feelings of guilt and fear but it takes her a long time to realise this and to take steps towards a fully-fledged sense of freedom.

Now a clinical psychologist and speaker intent on helping others to help themselves, Edith’s book is full of energy. Once forced to dance for Mengele, she still ends her talks with a high kick.

Humans do terrible things to each other, but Edith’s story reminds us that we also do terrible things to ourselves. If we can heal ourselves, take choices that give us freedom, we are better placed to help others do the same.

It’s hard not to write a bundle of clichés about this book. By saying that Edith Eger’s personality shines through her difficult account with humanity and generosity—which it does—there is a sense in which these overused phrases diminish the charm and vitality of the book as much as they diminish the horror and suffering. Some people have said Edith’s story is like reading about an Anne Frank that lived. Just read it for yourself and find out. It’s an inspiring read.

I can see how people think this book is brilliant, and I can also see how people find the balance of it skewed, creating something they didn't sign up for. The first third, the author's experiences as a teenaged girl, one of the rare few to survive both Auschwitz/Birkenau and Mauthausen (and that's even rarer for females, as the latter was supposed to be for men only), is excellent – gripping, galling testimony with detail you won't find elsewhere in a slew of other books. But really the core of the book is what comes from there on – the author's brilliance at being a psychiatrist and therapist, who has sorted marriages, grief, wounded soldiers and so much more. Her story is conveyed here, too – the copious steps on the path to acceptance of her lot, forgiveness of herself as a Nazi victim, and so much more, in the run-up to righting so many other wrongs.

I have to say I baulked at the idea of a lot of the book being about the people she has helped in a professional capacity, and how she gained the insight from her learning and her own enforced experiences to do so. But you know what? Without sounding like an egotistical blogger, I think the book was of personal help, and made me think like no other. Not about the simple live-in-the-present platitudes, but of other things. So this book came to me offering something I was denying, and I ended up accepting it. Go figure – that may be the mark of a fine book in your eyes. I can't deny its power, its compelling narrative from hell to multiple release. But be aware, this may frustrate in its balance, and its elements may not completely appeal. I'd just nudge you along on my own experience, that that lack of appeal may be unfounded.

I am totally blown away by this book. I've been reading books and memoirs about the Holocaust for nearly 20 years but this is entirely different.

The first part of the book is very reminiscent of Rena's Promise by Rena Kornreich Gelissen, who, like Edith Eger, was a prisoner of war with her sister. Eger tells in brutally honest detail her experience of survival and the horrors she witnessed. However, what makes Eger's book different to the others I have read, is her story of what happened after the camps were liberated.

It is the first time I have been faced with the reality of what it means to be a survivor of the Holocaust; to want to live a 'normal' life which seems like an impossibility. Eger's story is so powerful but it also helps us to understand what it is to be human, to be our 'authentic' selves, and to make the most of our time on this pale blue dot.

No review could ever do this book justice. Read it. Learn from it.

Many thanks Penguin Random House and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have never read a book from a Holocaust survivor. My knowledge was based purely on history books at school. This doesn't fully show the horror of war nor the hell of a concentration camp. Dr Edith Eger shows the human consequence of the second world war but this book is more than a book on the war, this book is also the story of one woman's fight, hope and forgiveness. Dr Edith takes you along the path of her life, losing her parents and grandparents in the gas chambers,dancing for Mengele as a prisoner in Auschwitz- the choice death or bread and how her life continued after. She weaves stories of her patients into her own story bringing the past into the present, using her own life experiences to help others. Her story leaves you heartbroken and hopeful in equal measure. It makes you re-evaluate your own 'prison of the mind' and her story lingers on long after you finish. It was an honour to read this book and feel this needs to be read by everyone. She really is a marvelous woman, even after losing everything several times she had the fight to continue on. She shows us both her strong and weak moments, her own guilt and how her strength wavered, but shows that even in the worst moments of her life she still had the strength to continue on. Dr Edith, thank you for your book and thank you for sharing your life.

This is a remarkable story written by Dr. Edith Eva Eger who in 1944 as a sixteen-year-old was sent to Auschwitz and endured unimaginable experiences, including being made to dance for the infamous Josef Mengele.
The book tells of her bravery that helped her sister to survive and led to her bunk mates rescuing her during a death march. When the camp was finally liberated, Edith was pulled from a pile of bodies, barely alive and survived to tell this remarkable story. The book is about a lot more though and Edith Eger tells her life story and how her experiences in the camp encouraged her to find a hope and resilience that may appear impossible to most of us.
The book is truly inspiring and tells how Edith discovered a gift to help others after the Second World War, by getting many others through their own versions of trauma. This is a fascinating read of a remarkable life that is full of heart break, yet Edith succeeds in becoming a psychologist and helps others.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Penguin for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Choice to be a victim or a survivor - over to you dear reader.

Heartbreaking yet encouraging and lifting. This book is not an average tale, it details the very worst of humanity and an extraordinary spirit who despite everything sees only redemption and hope in others. When I started reading it I thought it would be along the lines of Sophie's Choice but this true life experience kicks that into touch.

Well written and thought provoking this is a must for anyone with an interest in history and or how to overcome difficulties and set backs, the positivity of this woman is incredible and I encourage everyone to read this.

Words can not express the feelings and emotions I felt reading The Choice.
To read first hand what a POW had to endure, saddens me but I also feel privileged that Edith Eger has shared her horrific story with us.
Edith Eger, is most definitely up there in the top ten strongest people I have ever learned about. Such a wonderfully strong woman, she's not afraid to admit are weakness. I feel, to speak of your weaknesses makes you stronger.

Note: the last 10% of the book is just index and points of reference so it isn't as long as you think

The first half was a shocking fascinating horrendous story of this woman, as a 16 year old in Auschwitz.
Riveting to read.
The second half, although fairly interesting is about her path to healing and life fulfilment.
I got only to 57% then decided enough is enough - for now at least.

Dr Edith Eva Eger is an eminent psychologist whose own experiences as a Holocaust survivor helps her treat patients and allows them to escape the prisons of their own minds.

Edith Eger was just sixteen when the Nazis came to her hometown of Hungry and took the Jewish family to an interment centre and then to Auschwitz. Her parents were then sent to the gas chamber by Joseph Menele. Edith was demanded by Menele to waltz "The Blue Danube" just a few hours after her parents were murdered. Menele rewarded Edith with a small loaf of bread of which she shared with her fellow prisoners.

This is a beautifully written and very moving memoir. It has been divided into four sections: Prison, Escape, Freedom and Healing. How these people who suffered so much, could heal and then go on to make something of their lives like Edith has, beggars belief. This is one very committed woman, who became a therapist, who truly understands people's pain and forgives uniquely. This is not something I would normally read, but I'm really glad that I did. I highly recommend this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin Random House UK, Ebury Publishing and the author Edith Eger for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

**4.5 STARS **

Please try to remember that what they believe, as well as what they do and cause you to endure does not testify to your inferiority but to their inhumanity”
― James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time

I could never find the right words and phrases to describe what a moving yet uplifting memoir this is. Edith Eger was just 16 years old in 1944 when she entered the gates of hell - Auschwitz. Her grandparents and mother and father were sent to the gas chamber under the direct orders of the infamous Josef Mengele. Under those same orders she was made to dance for Mengele. Although she was terrified, she managed to take her mind back to the outside world, back to when she used to give ballet performances for appreciative audiences. At the end of her performance for Mengele she was thrown a small loaf of bread - and though grateful that she had the extra food to share with her sister Magda and others, she was also relieved that he hadn’t bestowed the same fate on her as her beloved family members.

I won’t go into any more detail, but Edith shares her experiences in Auschwitz , and when liberation finally came, she was discovered among a pile of bodies barely alive.

Man’s inhumanity to man never fails to shock me. The ones who were fortunate enough to survive the death camps, didn’t just need medical intervention for their extreme malnutrition and other physical problems, but more importantly it was the huge psychological scars that would prove the most difficult to heal.

Edith went on to become an eminent psychologist, someone who helped people come to terms with the traumas in their lives, (and she shares many of those cases with us) but she also needed to exorcise the ghosts of her own past too!

I found when I was reading this book, that an involuntary sob would sometimes appear out of nowhere. It was excruciating to read at times, and yet I couldn’t put it down. Desmond Tutu said that this book would leave you forever changed- I’m inclined to agree. Thank you Edith for sharing your courageous and inspiring life story, it’s not something I will forget any time soon.

Thank you so Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK Ebury Publishing for my Arc. I have given an honest unbiased review in exchange.

What can I say about this book. It is amazing, emotional, thought provoking, powerful and important.
It is a story of hope,forgiveness and choice.
I dare anyone to read this book and not be emotionally affected.
This young girl suffered atrocities no one should have to suffer and she survived and boy did she survive.
Not only was she able to heal herself but she went onto healing so many others. My Cognitive Behavioural Therapist suggested I read this book. This wonderful lady who is the author of this book has given so many people the tools to use uto heal themselves and I am proud to say that I am one of them.
I would like to thank the author Edith Eger, Penguin Random House UK and Net.galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for giving an honest review.

It’s difficult to find the words to describe this book. It’s deeply disturbing at times and immensely uplifting and thought provoking at others. It describes how we have a choice on how we react to difficult and sometime horrific situations.

It will make you cry that’s for sure. There are some truly harrowing details and the horrific experiences Edit Egar went through, but at 90 she has shown that it is possible to not only survive trauma, but to thrive and she is the proof .

It also shows how she has helped so many others with their own troubles and i feel it gives a unique way of thinking in that we are all much stronger than we think we are and sometimes it’s our own internal attitude that holds us back. Really thought provoking.

I would like to thank the Author/the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review