This month for book club we read "From a Name to a Number" an autobiography of a Holocaust survivor, Alter Weiner who lives right here in Hillsboro. My co-worker who hosts the book club picked the book because she personally knows Alter, and last Saturday he came and spoke to our group, we all invited friends and family to join our group for the night. The book was great. Alter is not a professional writer but he needed to tell his story so we would never forget the horrible things that the Jewish and other religious & ethnic groups suffered during World War 2.
Even without the book being edited and English not being Alter's native language it is pretty good. It gives you a true and authentic view of what happened during those times. I was brought to tears several times while reading the book. Alter is a great speaker. He is very funny and somehow has not ever taken things for granted in life, because of his experience in several different concentration camps in Germany. He makes no money off of the book- all proceeds are donated, and he spends his time speaking to churches, schools and communities about his experiences. I felt honored to meet him and hear his story. He mentioned that some young people he talks to have never even heard of the Holocaust and there are others that deny it ever happened. This seems absurd to me. I think it is important to continue to remember these events so we don't repeat it. I recommend the book to everyone. And if you have the opportunity to hear Alter or any other Holocaust survivor speak you should take it.
