A Lucky Child: A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz as a Young Boy

Thomas Buergenthal is unique. He is a judge at the International Court in The Hague who was rescued from the death camps of Auschwitz at the age of eleven. In this, A Lucky Child, his funny and heartfelt memoirs, he tells the story of his extraordinary journey - from the horrors of Nazism to an investigation of modern day genocide. At the age of seven Thomas Buergenthal was imprisoned in Nazi ghettos and camps, being rescued by Soviet and Polish troops when he was eleven. Separated from his parents in Auschwitz and surviving the 'Death March' of 1945 he was miraculously reunited with his mother a year and a half later. The rest of his family and almost all of his friends were killed. After experiencing the turmoil of Europe's post-war years - from the Battle of Berlin, to a Jewish orphanage in Poland - Buergenthal went to America in the 1950s at the age of seventeen. He eventually became one of the world's leading experts on international law and human rights. His story of survival and his determination to use law and justice to prevent further genocide is an epic journey through 20th century history. Buergenthal gives his perspective - as a child - on life in the camps. And, uniquely, he shows how his past has informed his understanding of the modern day war-crimes he sees as a judge. His book is both a special historical document and a great literary achievement, comparable only to Primo Levi's masterpieces.

About the Author :
Thomas Buergenthal is a leading law scholar with a doctorate from Harvard Law School. After taking up various appointments at Law faculties throughout the US he became the first US judge and later President of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and a member of the UN Human Rights Committee before joining the International Court of Justice in the Hague. In 2008 he was awarded the Justice Prize by the Gruber Foundation. He is the author of more than a dozen books on international law and is the subject of a biography entitled Tommy by Norwegian humanitarian and founder of UNICEF Odd Nansen.

Review :
'An understated and quietly powerful memoir - the book A Lucky Child is not one to miss' - Libby Purves, Radio 4 MidweekA" 'Thomas Buergenthal is not your average misery memoirist - What he has to say, both in bearing witness to the Holocaust and in describing his moral coming-to-adulthood, deserves our attention. He has serious things to tell us about forgiveness, justice and the curious effect of deep trauma on the mind - Buergenthal largely steers away from emotional theatrics - his is an extraordinary story and he tells it straight - A quietly courageous undertow to this story is Buergenthal's willingness to look this fact in the face: he doesn't flatter himself he was singled out by God, or destiny, to survive. Only chance separated him from the six million - and accepting that seems to underpin his humane understanding of the world' - Sam Leith, Daily Mail.A" "I was struck by Thomas Buergenthal's kindness, warmth, humility and - most of all - his humanity. I found him most inspiring, professionally and personally" - Paul Steinberg, BBC 3 Night Waves.A" 'Passionate and objective' - Harry McGrath, Sunday Herald.A" 'As understated and optimistic as it is harrowing' - Christopher Hart, Sunday Times Culture.A" 'A tour de force: simply narrated, at times almost naive - and even more shocking as a result' Camilla Long, Sunday Times News Review Interview.A" 'Extraordinary and moving - His memoir is a shining light in the darkness of history - and a tribute to the irrepressible spirit and optimism of childhood. A book that just has to be read' Pam Norfolk, Lancashire Evening PostA" 'Wonderful' Phil Bloomfield, Oxford TimesA" 'A painfully honest work' Steve Andrew, Morning StarA"