Each year on Yom HaShoah — Holocaust Remembrance Day — we light candles, share stories, and pause to honor the six million Jews who were murdered and the millions of others who suffered under Nazi persecution. But remembrance isn’t only about silence or solemn ceremonies. It’s also about listening to the voices of those who endured the unendurable and chose to tell their stories.
Holocaust memoirs offer something no textbook or novel can: raw truth, emotional intimacy, and a direct link to history through the eyes of someone who lived it. Whether written from the perspective of a teenager in hiding, a survivor of Auschwitz, or a child rescued by strangers, each of these memoirs is an act of courage — and an invitation to remember, reflect, and never forget.
Here are some of the most powerful Holocaust memoirs to read, revisit, or share this Yom HaShoah.
Read more: What is Yom HaShoah? How do we commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day?
“Night” by Elie Wiesel
A cornerstone of Holocaust literature, “Night” is Elie Wiesel’s searing account of his teenage years in Auschwitz and Buchenwald. Stripped of family, faith, and innocence, Wiesel bears witness to the unimaginable horrors of the camps with haunting clarity and spare, poetic prose. First published in 1956, the memoir remains a vital testament to the brutality of the Holocaust and the resilience of the human spirit. It’s a short memoir, but its emotional weight is immense.
“I Have Lived a Thousand Years: Growing Up in the Holocaust” by Livia Bitton-Jackson
Written with the clarity of hindsight and the voice of a teenage girl, “I Have Lived a Thousand Years” follows 13-year-old Elli Friedmann from a quiet life in Czechoslovakia into the heart of the Holocaust. Deported with her mother to Auschwitz, Elli endures forced labor, starvation, and constant fear, yet her spirit and intellect remain intact. Livia Bitton-Jackson’s memoir is accessible for younger readers without minimizing the horror, making it a powerful introduction to Holocaust history and a story of survival through strength, resilience, and unyielding love.
“Monastir Without Jews: Recollections of a Jewish Partisan in Macedonia” by Žamila Kolonomos
In this rare and powerful memoir, Žamila Kolonomos — one of the few Jewish partisans from the Balkans — recounts her life in the once-thriving Sephardic community of Monastir (now Bitola, North Macedonia), and her resistance against the Nazis after the Jews of her town were deported and murdered. “Monastir Without Jews” is both a personal testimony and a historical chronicle, preserving the memory of a lost community while detailing the courage of those who fought back. Kolonomos’s story broadens the lens of Holocaust history, shining a light on a lesser-known front of Jewish resistance and survival in Southeastern Europe and within the Sephardic community.
“All But My Life” by Gerda Weissmann Klein
A deeply moving account of survival, “All But My Life” traces Gerda Weissmann Klein’s journey from a happy childhood in Poland to the horrors of labor camps and a brutal death march across Nazi-occupied Europe. Through it all, Gerda clings to her dignity, her memories, and a fierce determination to live. Her prose is elegant yet unflinching, capturing both the heartbreak of loss and the quiet triumph of endurance. Published just after the war and later adapted into an Oscar-winning documentary, Gerda’s memoir is a testament to courage, humanity, and the enduring power of hope, even in the darkest of times.
“Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor E. Frankl
Part Holocaust memoir, part psychological meditation, Viktor E. Frankl’s “Man’s Search for Meaning” chronicles his years in Nazi concentration camps — and the profound insights he gained about human resilience. A psychiatrist before his imprisonment, Frankl observed that those who could find meaning, even in the darkest suffering, were more likely to survive. After the war, he developed “logotherapy,” a form of existential analysis rooted in this belief. Frankl’s account is less graphic than others, but no less powerful; it challenges readers to ask not what they expect from life, but what life expects from them.
“The Nazi Officer’s Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust” by Edith Hahn Beer
Edith Hahn Beer’s survival story is as improbable as it is extraordinary. A Jewish law student in Vienna, she escaped deportation by assuming a false identity — and ultimately marrying a Nazi officer who didn’t know she was Jewish. “The Nazi Officer’s Wife” reads like a thriller but is grounded in the grim reality of hiding in plain sight. Hahn Beer’s memoir is a compelling reminder that not all Holocaust stories took place behind barbed wire — some unfolded in kitchens, marriages, and silent resistance.
“Survival in Auschwitz” (also published as “If This Is a Man”) by Primo Levi
Written with lucid detachment and moral clarity, “Survival in Auschwitz” is Primo Levi’s account of his year in the death camp — as a chemist, a witness, and a human being reduced to a number. Levi explores not just the physical suffering of Auschwitz, but the psychological toll of dehumanization and the quiet acts of resistance that preserved dignity amid horror. His voice is calm, almost clinical at times, but the effect is shattering. Levi’s memoir stands as one of the most intellectually profound and ethically essential testimonies of the Holocaust, a reminder not only of what was endured but what it means to be human in the face of systematic inhumanity.
While not a memoir, Levi is also the author of “Moments of Reprieve,” a collection of 15 character study essays of people he met during his time in Auschwitz, which is also worth reading.
“The Girl in the Green Sweater: A Life in Holocaust’s Shadow” by Krystyna Chiger
As a child in Lviv, Poland, Krystyna Chiger survived the Holocaust not in a camp or forest, but underground — literally. For over a year, she and her family hid in the city’s sewer system, aided by a former Polish sewer worker turned rescuer. “The Girl in the Green Sweater” is Chiger’s extraordinary firsthand account of survival in darkness, hunger, and fear, a tale of courage, human kindness, and endurance against all odds. The memoir’s title refers to the article of clothing she wore throughout her time in hiding, a symbol of innocence preserved amid unthinkable horror. This powerful story also inspired the film “In Darkness.”
“Memoirs of a Fortunate Jew: An Italian Story” by Dan Vittorio Segre
Unlike many Holocaust memoirs marked by death camps and hiding, Dan Vittorio Segre’s “Memoirs of a Fortunate Jew” tells the story of survival through exile, identity, and reinvention. Growing up in a secular Jewish family in Fascist Italy, Segre was expelled from school under Mussolini’s racial laws and fled to Palestine, where he later joined the British Army. Wry, sharp, and at times unexpectedly humorous, Segre reflects on the ironies of being a “fortunate” Jew in a time of widespread persecution. His memoir offers a unique perspective on Italian Jewry, displacement, and what it means to navigate history as both witness and wanderer.
“Dry Tears: The Story of a Lost Childhood” by Nechama Tec
In “Dry Tears,” sociologist Nechama Tec recounts her childhood in Nazi-occupied Poland, where she survived by posing as a Catholic girl in hiding. Beneath the surface of outward safety was a constant, silent terror — and a painful emotional distance from those around her. Tec’s memoir is less about camps and more about the psychological toll of concealment, identity, and isolation. Her writing is quietly powerful, capturing the complexities of fear, guilt, and fractured trust through a child’s eyes. A unique perspective on Holocaust survival, “Dry Tears” offers an intimate and haunting look at the cost of staying alive.
“The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million” by Daniel Mendelsohn
Part memoir, part detective story, “The Lost” follows writer Daniel Mendelsohn’s journey to uncover what happened to six relatives, his great-uncle Shmiel and his family, who perished in the Holocaust. Spurred by family photographs and childhood stories, Mendelsohn travels across Eastern Europe, piecing together their fate through interviews, archives, and the memories of those who remain. Deeply literary and layered with history, theology, and personal reflection, “The Lost” is a meditation on memory, loss, and what it means to bear witness for those who can no longer speak. A powerful blend of scholarship and soul, it invites readers into the sacred act of remembrance.
“When Time Stopped: A Memoir of My Father’s War and What Remains” by Ariana Neumann
In “When Time Stopped,” Ariana Neumann unravels the astonishing hidden life of her father, a Czech Jew who survived the Holocaust by assuming a false identity in Berlin — the heart of Nazi Germany. Decades after his death, Neumann uncovers boxes of letters, documents, and photographs that lead her on a gripping journey through history, memory, and family secrets. Part memoir, part detective story, the book is a powerful meditation on silence, survival, and the resilience of identity. With lyrical prose and deep emotional insight, Neumann brings to light a story nearly lost — and with it, a daughter’s bond to her father, forever transformed.
“The Boy on the Wooden Box: How the Impossible Became Possible… on Schindler’s List” by Leon Leyson
Leon Leyson was just 10 years old when the Nazis invaded Poland — and one of the youngest people saved by Oskar Schindler. In “The Boy on the Wooden Box,” named for the crate he stood on to reach the factory machinery, Leyson recounts his childhood under Nazi rule with honesty, humility, and remarkable clarity. Written in a voice that resonates with both teens and adults, this memoir is a powerful complement to “Schindler’s List,” offering a deeply personal look at one life spared amidst millions lost. Inspiring, accessible, and emotionally resonant, it’s a must-read for young readers learning about the Holocaust.
“Jack and Rochelle: A Holocaust Story of Love and Resistance” by Jack and Rochelle Sutin
Told in alternating voices, “Jack and Rochelle” is the remarkable dual memoir of two young Jewish partisans who met in the forests of Nazi-occupied Poland. As teenagers, Jack Sutin and Rochelle Shoretz fled ghettos, escaped deportation, and joined the underground resistance. Amid the violence and uncertainty, they found something unexpected: each other. Their love story, forged in a time of terror, is also a story of courage, rebellion, and survival. As moving as it is heroic, “Jack and Rochelle” offers a powerful testament to the strength of the human spirit — and the enduring hope that can bloom even in the darkest of times.
“The Choice: Embrace the Possible” by Dr. Edith Eva Eger
Part memoir, part guide to healing, “The Choice” follows Dr. Edith Eger’s extraordinary journey from Auschwitz survivor to world-renowned psychologist. At 16, she was sent to the camps, where she faced unthinkable horrors — including being forced to dance for Josef Mengele. But “The Choice” is not just a story of what was endured; it’s about what came after. With compassion and wisdom, Eger reflects on trauma, forgiveness, and the radical freedom of choosing how we respond to pain. Inspiring and deeply humane, her memoir is a call not only to remember the past but to live fully in the present.
“Maus” by Art Spiegelman
Told through the medium of a graphic novel, “Maus” is a groundbreaking, Pulitzer Prize-winning work that records the Holocaust survival story of Spiegelman’s father, Vladek. Jews are depicted as mice, Nazis as cats — a creative choice that underscores the surreal horror of the era while making it visually accessible. But “Maus” is more than a history lesson; it’s also a deeply personal narrative about intergenerational trauma, memory, and the weight of survival. Raw, inventive, and devastating, “Maus” proves that Holocaust testimony can take many forms — and still cut to the core.
“Love in a World of Sorrow: A Teenage Girl’s Holocaust Memoirs” by Fanya Gottesfeld Heller
In “Love in a World of Sorrow,” Fanya Gottesfeld Heller recounts her teenage years hiding from the Nazis in the forests and barns of rural Ukraine, protected in part by a former classmate turned Nazi collaborator. Her story is one of fear, faith, and the complicated moral terrain of survival. With unflinching honesty and emotional depth, Heller reflects not only on the Holocaust itself, but also on what it meant to rebuild a life afterward — to marry, have children, and find meaning after unimaginable trauma. Both intimate and historically rich, her memoir is a powerful portrait of courage, contradiction, and endurance.
“I Want You to Know We’re Still Here: A Post-Holocaust Memoir” by Esther Safran Foer
In this deeply personal memoir, Esther Safran Foer sets out to uncover the missing pieces of her family’s past — a history largely erased by the Holocaust. Born in a displaced persons camp to parents who rarely spoke of their trauma, Foer grew up with unanswered questions and inherited silences. Decades later, she travels to Ukraine to trace the fate of the half-brother she never knew existed and to connect with the family who hid her father during the war. Blending memoir, investigative journalism, and historical reflection, Foer’s book is a moving testament to memory, identity, and the quiet triumph of survival across generations.
“We Share the Same Sky: A Memoir of Memory & Migration” by Rachael Cerrotti
Part memoir, part investigative journey, “We Share the Same Sky” follows Rachael Cerrotti as she retraces the path of her grandmother, Hana Dubova, a Holocaust survivor who escaped Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia through the Kindertransport. What begins as a family history project evolves into a moving exploration of loss, resilience, and the intergenerational echoes of trauma. Drawing on diaries, letters, and recordings, Cerrotti weaves past and present together, blurring the lines between remembrance and lived experience. Deeply personal and beautifully written, this memoir brings new life to Holocaust memory in a world still grappling with displacement and identity.
Cerrotti also brought her story to life through the seven-episode “We Share the Same Sky” podcast.
“The Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank
Though not a memoir in the traditional sense, Anne Frank’s diary remains one of the most iconic and intimate accounts of the Holocaust. Written between the ages of 13 and 15 while hiding with her family in a secret annex in Amsterdam, Anne chronicles the fears, frustrations, and fleeting joys of life in hiding — all with astonishing honesty and literary grace. Her words reflect both the innocence of youth and the gravity of a world closing in. Anne did not survive the war, but her voice endures, offering a deeply personal window into the human cost of hatred and the resilience of hope.
