• Defiance

  • The Bielski Partisans
  • By: Nechama Tec
  • Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
  • Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (268 ratings)

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Defiance  By  cover art

Defiance

By: Nechama Tec
Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
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Publisher's summary

The prevailing image of European Jews during the Holocaust is one of helpless victims. But in fact, many Jews struggled against the terrors of the Third Reich.

This is the riveting history of one such group: a forest community numbering more than 1,200 that carried out the largest armed rescue operation of Jews by Jews in World War II. Nechama Tec reconstructs the amazing details of how these men and women of all ages - hungry, largely unarmed, and exposed to harsh winter weather - managed not only to survive but to take on the dual role of fighters and rescuers. Under the guidance of their charismatic leader, Tuvia Bielski, they smuggled Jews out of heavily guarded ghettos, led retaliatory raids against Nazi collaborators, and offered protection to all Jewish fugitives who could find their way to them.

©1993 Nechama Tec (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

"One of the most elevating and inspiring stories in the chronicle of death and despair that is the Holocaust....an accomplished and startling work of Holocaust documentation." ( Los Angeles Times)
"An exciting story of rescuers and fighters - a story that should have been documented years ago....Defiance will no doubt engender further interest in the subject of Jewish partisan activity." ( Social Education)

What listeners say about Defiance

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Brillaint scholarship; hard read

This is a brilliant social history of a Jewish resistance movement in Belarus and Eastern Poland. It focusses on the Bielski partisan group lead by the three Bielski brothers.

What made this partisan unit different from the others active in the area was the fact A) they were Jewish and B) focused much more on saving lives than on attacking the Germans. Their efforts eventually resulted in the saving of more than 1,000 Jews.

The book is a standard social history that tackles its subject in a thematic rather than a narrative style. This makes the book less accessible. This is not a piece of popular history but is intended to be read by scholars who have made a study of the Holocaust or the Jews. The result is that the book can be hard to follow at times as it does not strictly follow a chronological format. Additionally, the book seems repetitive as the author supported his assertions with a large number of examples many of which are very similar.

This is a stunning piece of scholarship with the information presented logically and clearly in a remarkably evenhanded manner. This is done at the expense of readability and accessibility. Therefore, I would not recommend this book to the casual reader but to the serious student of the subject.

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38 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Academic, not narrative

The good part of this book is that it is uplifting. It describes real people in a practically impossible situation who endure and survive by relying upon ancient moral principles (although there are several morally ambiguous incidents). The bad part is that it is organized and largely written as an academic paper. It is not narrative. That is, it doesn't tell a story in a chronological manner but rather is organized on a thematic basis. This results in two problems: 1) there is a great deal of repetition and 2) the great inspirational adventure story this should be is hidden behind this academic objectivity. You have to squint to see a glimpse of the heroism and the humanity of these people.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Boring

This book is very dry and boring. When I first read the synopsis I thought it would be very interesting, lots of action, at least a plot. This book has neither. Rather it's an account of an inexhaustible list of names and places and how they moved around from one group and place to the next. After listening to two thirds of the first part I had to stop, I couldn't take any more. I don't want to take away from the efforts of those who are mentioned in this book, I know that what they did was brave and heroic. There are times in the book of accounts that if told differently should have held the reader in suspense and dread however, even at those times it was told in a fashion that sparked very little emotional contact or empathy with the characters. I just wished the author would have taken a different approach instead of a dull chronology as this is a great story that does deserve a better rendering.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great audio Book

As a Jew, I was captivated by the book. I then saw the movie which was pretty darn good too.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Great Story, could have been told better

The raw material for this story is just riveting, which makes the flaws in the narrative that much more frustrating. I particularly found the discussion of some of the difficult moral choices the partisans had to make to be compelling reading.
Let me also say, I remember well being in 8th grade and reading Night by Elie Wiesel and feeling, forgive me if this sounds like blaming the victim, but feeling angry with the passivity of those who went into the gas chambers without a struggle. This book not only shows another side of the story, but it provides a very convincing, and heart-tugging discussion of why some didn't resist.
My only critique is that it is written more as research paper than as a story. For example, Chapter 11 is entitled (paraphrasing) "The Formation of New Social Structures", and discusses, well, social structures among the Bielski partisans. It seems to me a more inventive author would have woven that in to a narrative.
Certainly, this is a book I heartily recommend. It is easy to say "we must never forget", but a book like this is important to ensuring that we consciously remember the holocaust, rather than simply have it locked in the recesses of long term memory.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another reason why a book is better then the movie

When the movie came out years ago i was excited to go see it because of the story. A group of brothers fighting to save Jews during a dark time in human history. Unfortunately the movie did not turn out so well and i was disappointed. Fast forward to about a month ago when i discovered the Audio book the movie was based off of. I decided to give it a read and it was a great read. This should have been developed into a mini series like band of brothers. The story broke down the history of the brothers and their actions throughout the war in the defense of the Jewish people they protected. It showed the hardships, politics, and inside scheming that the brothers had to work through just to keep everyone safe. A story that shows how people could become a beacon of hope during a dark time. All because they thought it was the right thing to do.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Extraordinary story

This extraordinary story is very uplifting. It demomonstrates how the desire to live can overcome so many treats.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very good!

I highly recommend watching the movie before reading the book, because even though there is a bit of “Hollywood” involved, it will allow the reader to have a better visual of the people and places being described in the book. Some have complained that the book is too academic, and I found that it is exactly what it should be… History mixed with documentary which equals reality. I do not think I would have come to appreciate the dire situations encountered, nor would I have had as clear an understanding of the principals involved had I not watched the movie first. A definite must listen for those who are interested in, and want to dig below the surface of the known atrocities forced upon the Jewish communities of many nations during WW II. A true story about survival and what it took, and the ability of a few men to build a safe haven for as many as possible.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

History

it was a struggle to get through this book. it was more a documentary that story form and at times it was hard to follow at times

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

What a Great Read

I often am hesitant to listen/read another book on the holocaust or WW2 but this one was part of Plus so I figured, why not?

It was such an inspiring read. The mere fact that they survived was amazing but the community they created within the forest was incredible. It is amazing what one persons hope can do in a seemingly hopeless situation. Sad that this doesn’t get more attention and it was sad to hear about Tuvia Bielski’s life after the war. Definitely a great find and don’t regret the listen at all.

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