For Those I Loved

This is the story of a clever Jewish kid in the Warsaw ghetto, who was a master at survival. First, when his family was herded into the ghetto, he carried a glove-making machine from the family factory on his back at his own initiative (he was about 14) so that the family could have a means of making money. Then, he began to engage in black-market trading, escaping into Warsaw, where he made allies of crude thieves who initially had robbed and beaten him. They later saved his life numerous times and became devoted allies. Next, he went to the camps, escaping repeatedly while witnessing the horror. FInally, he returned to the Warsaw ghetto to fight in the uprising with his father, whom he saw die. This is simply rivetting, opening a world of horror beyone belief. The boy was a kind of genius at survival, cunning and full of energy and able to adapt quickly. But the story doesn't end there. After a stint in the Soviet army (for revenge), he moves the the US, where he starts an antique business on his own initiative and becomes highly successful, before starting a family. Alas, it ends in trajedy, but this man's will to survive kept him going. Warmly recommended as an extraordinary life and inspiration as well as great history. I read this edition in French and do not know if it is available in English.

I read this book because someone close to me had revealed a tragedy they suffered in their lives, and I wanted some way to understand how a human being copes with such things. Needless to say, I got much more than I bargained for. This story is about Martin Gray and the utterly incredible life he lived and endured. He escapes from the clutches of death so many times that you lose count, his will to survive and the cleverness he employs to that end is amazing, and the schemes he conjures to bring food into the ghetto or escape from the death camps or to make his fortune are phenomenal. With a life story like his, it'd almost be hard to write a non-engaging book. For myself, I read about 350 pages in around 3 days; it was just that riveting. But the writing style is powerful, too. Most of the book is written in the first-person and interspersed with dialogue; it's basically a window into Martin's inner thoughts. Most people know the horrors of the Holocaust but actually reading a first-hand account of them, and the subsequent thought process Martin had to try to make sense of it all was so powerful. Why read this book? I'll be honest, a large part of me wasn't enthused about absorbing the lowest depths of humanity through a Holocaust memoir. But the curiosity of how this man lived to write this memoir in the first place and how he dealt with it all propelled me forward. Martin writes so viscerally that I feel I've come away with a deeper understanding of the range of the human experience, how our emotions respond to the world around us, and how one man lives his life. Strange as it may sound, being Jewish myself, I feel like I have a piece of Martin inside of me now. Sadly, all he had at the end of this book was a story to tell and a cause to pursue; nearly everything else in his life had been taken from him. It makes me feel good that I have aided his quest, read his story, suffered with him, and can now tell others about the life he endured.

I first read this book 27 years ago. The same age as Martin Gray when we was living in the Warsaw ghetto. I pulled it of a shelf at random in my school library, read the first couple of pages and I was hooked. Martin Gray's incredible story made such an impression on me that I have never forgotten it. Over the years I have recommended it to others. It is as powerful and moving today as it was 27 years ago!Highly recommended!

This is a truly great story written by a remarkable man who with incredable determination survived the horrors of Warsaw the ghetoe,s and the gas chambers of Treblinka, saw his family and friends humiliated then murdered by the Natzi "beasts".---Of how he joined with the Polish underground then the Russian army becoming an officer and as such becoming amongst the first to enter Berlin at the end of the War.It also shows a man of wonderful compassion , tho" he had suffered shocking humiliation and degradation by the "beasts" demonstrating this in helping the two German lads in Berlin After the war Martin Gray further demonstrates his fantastic determination and strength of charicture by moving to America and altho not speaking a word of English he became a vey successful buisiness man within a period of about 10 years Met his lovely wife Dina and they moved to France (near Cannes} where they built their dream "fortress" and had four children. Happiness was not to last for Martin Gray , he was once again torn to the depths of despair when his wife Dina with their four children perished in a huge forrest fire For Those I Loved is not an easy book to read , it is for the most a very sad story.It must be noted also that this story with the colaberation of Max Gallo was written six months after the fire Like many others who have read this book I would like to know the whereabouts of Mr. Gray today and would appreciate vey much anybody letting me know

This book has been a main stay in my library for many years and I have re-read it countless times. It has ben passed on to numerous friends and relatives who were also very moved by Martin Gray's struggle and survival. He is an honorable man that suffered horribly and had the strength and character to tell us about his life during WWII under the Nazis.I was disheartened to read the reviews by the "revisionists" who claim this book is fiction. I studied in France for several years and correspond with many collegues there. When I read these revisionist accounts I contacted my former professor and friends in France to research their claims. The archives of the periodicals "Le Monde" and "Le Figaro" were reviewed. The claims made by these revisionists are simply false and misleading. Yes, Martin Gray was in the NKVD. His his sole responsiblity was to hunt Nazi's hiding in Eastern Europe that escaped the Russian Army's occupation. He was even assigned to trail Martin Bormann without success. He was never involved in any other manner in this organization.Gitta Sereny, the author responsible for disclosing the truth about Albert Speer, never confronted or commented about Martin Gray. There is no credible record of her comments. This and the other allegations are simply false and the work of uninformed and uneducated revisionists.My friends in France have only the greatest admiration for Martin Gray and praise him for his forthright and honest portyal of his experiences. A six hour movie, starring Michael York, was made of his life and shown in France and England. This book will be difficult to find, but I strongly urge anyone who has one to lend it to a friend to read. If you do not have one, try the library or make an effort to locate it. It is a wonderful book that will certainly have an impact on you and will teach you about the horrors, sacrifice and struggles of a heroic person. Martin Gray is a rare person who displays a sense of determinationa and dignity seldom found anymore. Find and read the book!