The Pharmacist of Auschwitz cover art

The Pharmacist of Auschwitz

The Untold Story

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The Pharmacist of Auschwitz

By: Patricia Posner
Narrated by: Julian Elfer
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About this listen

The Pharmacist of Auschwitz is the little-known story of Victor Capesius, a Bayer pharmaceutical salesman from Romania, who, at the age of 35, joined the Nazi SS in 1943 and quickly became the chief pharmacist at the largest death camp, Auschwitz. Based in part on previously classified documents, Patricia Posner exposes Capesius' reign of terror at the camp, his escape from justice, and how a handful of courageous survivors and a single brave prosecutor finally brought him to trial for murder 20 years after the end of the war.

The Pharmacist of Auschwitz is much more, though, than a personal account of Capesius. It provides a spellbinding glimpse inside the devil's pact made between the Nazis and Germany's largest conglomerate, IG Farben, and its Bayer pharmaceutical subsidiary. The story is one of murder and greed, with its roots in the dark heart of the Holocaust.

Set against a backdrop ranging from Hitler's war to conquer Europe to the Final Solution, to postwar Germany's tormented efforts to confront its dark past, Posner shows the appalling depths to which ordinary men descend when they are unrestrained by conscience or any sense of morality.

Contains mature themes.

©2017 Patricia Posner (P)2017 Tantor 20th Century Judaism Military Modern World War Holocaust Survival Murder Crime

Critic Reviews

"A gruesome story eloquently told." ( Kirkus)
All stars
Most relevant
I enjoyed the book. A well written and constructed book that brought alive the spirit of the time and warning to everyone of what can and does happen.

Powerful and Important

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As a pharmacist educator I found this book very informative although distressing at times. Well done to the author and narrator for a story well told. The take away lesson is that if one wants to endure the judgement of history, no one is absolved of their professional responsibilities even when living under an authoritarian regime.

Gripping and sobering at the same time

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We all need to read books like this one lest we forget the horror that mankind can inflict on the innocent under the pretence of might is right. We need to remember the things people will do through greed and power, to those that can not defend themselves is called tyranny and needs to be stopped before it starts. The horror of the Holocaust is unimaginable, what those poor people went through we will never truly know, but records like this need to be made mandatory reading in our schools, lest we forget as the true horror will be lost to time forever if we do not.

Lest we forget

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Thoroughly enjoyed this book. The subject matter is quite unpleasant and sad but an important part of history.

Would recommend this book to history nerds that like investigating a little deeper. The parts of the book that deal with the trials and legal proceedings are especially interesting.

Sad story, amazing book

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this book was SO boring I couldn't finish it and I struggled on waiting for it to get interesting. it was just a whole lot of names and dates and dates and names and never got off the ground. it talked about terrible things that happened but never said what they were or who or why, I was very dissapointed with this purchase!

boring

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