Mistress of Life and Death: The Dark Journey of Maria Mandl, Head Overseer of the Women's Camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau

4.4 | 699 ratings

Price: 13.99

Last update: 06-14-2024

About this item

A masterful exploration of one of the Nazi regime’s darkest and most intriguing figures—and one of the few female perpetrators of the Holocaust—this vivid and thoughtful biography, with never-before-published details and photography, will appeal to readers of The Lilac Girls and history buffs alike.

By the time of her execution at thirty-six, Maria Mandl had achieved the highest rank possible for a woman in the Third Reich. As Head Overseer of the women’s camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau, she was personally responsible for the murders of thousands, and for the torture and suffering of countless more.

In this riveting biography, Susan J. Eischeid explores how Maria Mandl, regarded locally as “a nice girl from a good family,” came to embody the very worst of humanity. Born in 1912 in the scenic Austrian village of Münzkirchen, Maria enjoyed a happy childhood with loving parents—who later watched in anguish as their grown daughter rose through the Nazi system.

Mandl’s life mirrors the period in which she lived: turbulent, violent, and suffused with paradoxes. At Auschwitz-Birkenau, she founded the notable women’s orchestra and “adopted” several children from the transports—only to lead them to the gas chambers when her interest waned. After the war, Maria was arrested for crimes against humanity. Following a public trial attended by the international press, she was hanged in 1948.

For two decades, Eischeid has excavated the details of Mandl’s life story, drawing on archival testimonies, speaking to dozens of witnesses, and spending time with Mandl’s community of friends and neighbors who shared their memories as well as those handed down in their families. The result is a chilling and complex exploration of how easily an ordinary citizen chose the path of evil in a climate of hate and fear.

Carrie Hornung

Well written and informative

Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2024

This is a well written book it's informative it tells about the life of Marie Mendl there's a lot of detail and a lot of information about what happened when she went to the Nuremberg trials. Quite interesting and heartbreaking, of course. Towards the end of the book there's some argument concerning wether Ms Mendel could be forgiven by one ex prisoner on behalf of all that had suffered by The Scooter! hands of Ms Mandl or some orders she may have handed down that lead to the subsequent torture and death of so may inoccents .
Wasn't expecting that part. It was like out of a movie I want top nd seeking retribution happened or was made up by someone known to "add color" to some of her stories , it seems Ms Mendl only expressed remorse to this one person. One? Of her former prisoners. I wonder if it's true. At her trial Ms Mendl did not express any remorse at all.
I guess no one will ever really know the truth however this book does give most of the facts that can be given concerning this Dark part of history and Ms Mendl's participation.

Kindle Customer

Space Out Your Reading Of This...

Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2024

Small chunks at a time as your stomach can handle it. Details not for the faint of heart. A book well worth reading about a supposed normal young woman who went really really bad in the Nazi system. A brilliant job of research, interviewing survivors and writing in readable prose. A truly valuable addition to Holocaust literature.

Annette Haven

Well Done

Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2024

The author has done an excellent job In his recounting Of Maria Mandl. A lot of time was spent in the researching and the interviewing, and it shows. This is a compassionate account of those who managed to be completely detached from Humanity. I appreciate the interviews done with people who had, in some cases, no desire to speak of these events. This is a painful book. Don't read it if you can't handle disturbing matter. Thank you very much to the author For very readable And educational book...

Tammie

Too long

Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2024

Interesting read for a 300 page book.
This book however is nearly twice that and much to complicated with background information

Kenneth Rasmussen

About a normal person going vile

Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2024

This book is very well researched and written. Everything is relevant and it's a pageturner. It portrais very well how a normal, empathic and popular person from a good family can go vile an cruel under the right circumstances. Despite Mandl's evil deeds, I was left with a feeling of empathy towards, and a feeling of sorry for Mandl. Her life was a genuine tragedy, and the book really makes this clear to the reader. It's not all about killing and abusing but also about her good sides. I felt I got to know her, so the end with the trial and execution was very difficult and sad to read. I'll never forget her story.

Penney L.

Interesting perspective on how ordinary people can do horrible things.

Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2024

Good read
We should never forget what happened and the people who perpetrated thee atrocities. That evil could live in ourselves is a sobering thought.

Kat Clayton

Shocking & Sad

Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2024

This story was moving, shocking, painful to read. It is so hard when your child becomes something that you have to learn to come to terms with and try to accept. The only thing I wish this book had were pictures of the various people described and the places the history took place. This a hard tale to read of someone who went blindly into the dark and never hesitated to stop and think. That anyone can let themselves sink to this level of evil is a lesson to all to stop and think of what you let in your heart.

Greg

Obviously a tough subject to read about but very interesting

Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2024

Obviously a tough subject to read about but also a very interesting look at how people get sucked into populist movements. It's a worthwhile book for WWII-era history fans.

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