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The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness Audiobook
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(4.00) - 2,463 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
While imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp, Simon Wiesenthal was taken one day from his work detail to the bedside of a dying member of the SS. Haunted by the crimes in which he had participated, the soldier wanted to confess to—and obtain absolution from—a Jew. Faced with the choice between compassion and justice, silence and truth, Wiesenthal said nothing. But even years after the war had ended, he wondered: Had he done the right thing? What would you have done in his place?
In this important book, fifty-three distinguished men and women respond to Wiesenthal's questions. They are theologians, political leaders, writers, jurists, psychiatrists, human rights activists, Holocaust survivors, and victims of attempted genocide in Bosnia, Cambodia, China, and Tibet. Their responses, as varied as their experiences of the world, remind us that Wiesenthal's questions are not limited to events of the past. Often surprising and always thought-provoking, The Sunflower will challenge you to define your beliefs about justice, compassion, and human responsibility.
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"The Sunflower is an excellent autobiographical story. It is nuanced and intriguing. The follow-up of commentary as to whether Wiedenthal did the right thing was interesting. It was amazing such variety of opinion and so many responders who spoke with assurance and emotion about their positions. I felt great emotion for the story but very little for the question of whether he was right or wrong. Some responders put strong emphasis on a single word, as though the speaker had the opportunity to think through the response carefully and used the precise meanings of the responders."
— Correen (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“In simple yet elegant prose, Wiesenthal recreates the grim reality of a time when Eastern Europe was hell. Never lapsing into the maudlin or self-pitying, his matter-of-fact realism makes the images all the more horrifying.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
In simple yet elegant prose, Wiesenthal recreates the grim reality of a time when Eastern Europe was hell. Never lapsing into the maudlin or self-pitying, his matter-of-fact realism makes the images all the more horrifying.
— Publishers Weekly Starred Review
The Sunflower Listener Reviews
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" An amazing book that pushes you to look at yourself and truly define your boundaries of forgiveness and what it really means to you and others. "
— Matt, 2/9/2014 -
" Read this book for a class in college and fell in love with it. It makes you think about human behavior, morals, ethics, and forgiveness. What would you do? "
— Rebecca, 1/29/2014 -
" Learning new thought-provoking concepts about forgiveness and how Christianity and Judiasm differ. "
— Cate, 1/29/2014 -
" I liked the book, but didn't read any of the essays of what people thought of the question presented about forgiveness. "
— Becky, 1/29/2014 -
" A moving as well as horrifying (because it's genocide and beastly Nazi behaviour) story and an intelligent discussion about the possibilities and limitations of forgivenness! We should never forget!! "
— Malou, 1/28/2014 -
" I enjoyed the story and the questions posed much more than the answers given. The query that Weisenthal presents is very interesting, a difficult one to answer, and I found it quite interesting that they have included various people's attempts to do so. It just feels like they included too many answers. You get to a point where no one feels as though they are saying something that has not already been said. I was able to do some interesting things with this in class, and I think it gave my students a new perspective on the holocaust. "
— Jessie, 1/25/2014 -
" Thought-provoking and a little bit challenging. All about the limits of forgiveness... "
— Lauren, 1/17/2014 -
" a good holocaust read without all the gloom and doom. best part is you can finish it in a day. unlike most holocaust books (night, diary of ann frank, etc) there is actually something to be taken away here rather than just someones sob story and is quite thought provoking. "
— Pat, 12/29/2013 -
" An SS officer bears his soul to Simon about what he did and asks him for forgiveness. The rest of the book asks, "What would you have done? Would you have forgiven him?" This is a very interesting book. It is an incredibly complex issue with no right answer. I highly recommend this book. "
— Laurie, 12/18/2013 -
" This was a wonderful book that invites wonderful discussion and pushes you to think beyond your own experiences. Your own perceptions. "
— Katy, 12/3/2013 -
" A jumble. Every author has much to contribute but not in so few words. Probably will not finish this book. I'll just sample a bit. "
— Bcoghill, 11/19/2013 -
" Very moving portrait of life in a concentration camp along with a contemplation of forgiveness and justice. "
— Lynn, 11/10/2013 -
" A book to keep on your shelves. Very thought provoking. "
— Jessica, 7/22/2013 -
" The narrator is relatively deplorable/self righteous, and it's poorly written. "
— David, 7/12/2012 -
" Read it for a college class called, "Human Suffering," and learned that sometimes "silence" is the greatest form of kindness. "
— Lucia, 6/5/2012 -
" This was a great choice for discussion. It reminded me just how much of an influence my early life experiences have had on the way I view the world - even when I'm aware of that influence and try to think differently. "
— Joy, 5/14/2012 -
" Indeed, a very interesting book. It does make you stop and think. You say of course I would forgive, but then you realize that maybe there are some things less tragic than murder that you perhaps have not forgiven. "
— Cdenning5, 3/29/2012 -
" It was amazing. It made me think about my view on forgiveness, as it relates to justice and moral responsibility. "
— Angela, 3/17/2012 -
" This is a very good book. A first hand account of survival during WWII. Thought provoker - as are all books. This books asks you whether or not you're capable of forgiveness which others may deem inappropriate. "
— Chaz, 3/17/2012 -
" an important read. A concentration camp inmate ids called before a dying Nazi. The Nazi confesses his sins and seeks forgiveness- what to do? in adition to the answer given in the text- numerous thinkers weigh in in an appendix with reflections. A book to read again and again "
— Barry, 2/28/2012 -
" This one had me at hello... Simon Wiesenthal's story is amazing... and then other people have to ruin it by telling what'd they'd do in the same situation... more than 40 years after the fact... in a world far removed from the situation... nevertheless, very touching personal struggle. "
— Jacque, 12/12/2011
About Simon Wiesenthal
Simon Wiesenthal (1908–2005) was born in Buczacz, Galicia, at that time a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He was incarcerated between 1941 and 1945 in Buchenwald and Mauthausen and other concentration camps. In 1946, together with thirty other survivors, he founded the Jewish Historical Documentation Center, which was instrumental in the identification of over 1,100 Nazi war criminals. He was honored by the governments of Italy, the Netherlands, Israel, and the United States, and he wrote books including The Murderers Among Us, Justice Not Vengeance, Sails of Hope, and Every Day Remembrance Day.
About the Narrators
Robertson Dean has played leading roles on and off Broadway and at dozens of regional theaters throughout the country. He has a BA from Tufts University and an MFA from Yale. His audiobook narration has garnered ten AudioFile Earphones Awards. He now lives in Los Angeles, where he works in film and television in addition to narrating.
Laural Merlington is an audiobook narrator with over two hundred titles to her credit and a winner of multiple Earphones Awards. An Audie Award nominee, she has also directed over one hundred audiobooks. She has performed and directed for thirty years in theaters throughout the country. In addition to her extensive theater and voice-over work, she teaches college in her home state of Michigan.