This book, published in English by the historians at the state museum in Auschwitz (Oswecim, Poland), would make a perfect gift for your Uncle Dave, the Holocaust denier. This volume brings together the writings of three perpetrators of genocide: the first commandant of Auschwitz, a Political Section officer and a doctor. All three Nazis were kind enough to write meticulous accounts of their time at the camp. Of course, they did so in order to support the “I was only taking orders” excuse, but they left us a valuable resource nonetheless. There are detailed descriptions of just how the whole extermination enterprise was conceived and carried out—right down to Hoss’s step-by-step description of the mass-murder process, from cattle-car arrival to gassing to corpse disposal. The Uncle Daves of the world are unlikely to actually read these accounts, but they should probably be forced to at least hold the pages in their hands. Reviewed on April 1, 2021