People Who Made History, Oskar Schindler ~ Edited by Bruce Thompson

Four out of Five (-1 because this is a compilation of other people's writing, so you have to switch tones and styles as the authors change, as well as some pieces that are only vaguely connected)

A longer review than most I hope to ever post.  This book is so much more than a biography.  The entire book is excerts from many varied sources, thus an editor, rather than an author.  There is so much of history, psychology and even economy in here that it is, for me, impossible to cover in a simple synopsis.  I wish I would've read this with a group, there is so much here for conversation and even conversation points at the end, for every chapter.

The psychological explanations and descriptions of Schindler are both illuminating and irritating.  One says he was changing into an altruist, another that he had fragmented his personality to be both Nazi and a rescuer of Jews, an economist says his goal was saving lives and his financial and political dealings worked towards that goal.  There is an interesting chapter on "modern moral theory" that explains Schindler's actions as being in defiance of the modern moral theory.  There were no absolutes, there was no reason or rational.  He did what he could, when he could.  On the one hand, it was interesting to see how different beliefs would see Schindler in different ways.  On the other hand, I wonder that so many choose to eviscerate this man, who saved over a thousand people, and to question his motives.

The reviews of the movie, "Schindler's List," are almost distracting.  On the one hand you have a compilation of writings that attempt to give the historical, economic and psychological portraits of Schindler and on the other, a movie that, in my newly acquired opinion, hardly does the man justice.  Speilburg fragmented Schindler in his movie, he used Stern to show Schindler's good side and Goeth as his 'Nazi' side.  Those are three different people.  Stern was Stern, not some guardian angel, and the same can be said for Goeth.  Not only that, but Schindler becomes a sort of puppet, twisting and turning according to whom he is with.

All together, lest I go on much longer, I've learned much from this little book.  Beyond learning more about Oskar Schindler, I was reminded of what I already knew of humanity (we're much more than good or bad), much more about the Holocaust and quite a bit of compassion and morality.