19 Best Holocaust Books
We analyzed 5+ expert sources, curated book lists, and recommendations from successful people to find the 19 best holocaust books according to the internet — not just one person's opinion. Each book on this list was mentioned by at least two independent sources, and the ranking is based on how frequently each title appears across all sources studied. This consensus-based approach ensures you get recommendations backed by multiple experts, not a single reviewer's bias.
Goal: Find the best Holocaust books according to the internet (not just one person's opinion).
Method:
- Search for "best holocaust books" and study the top 5+ pages.
- Add only the books mentioned 2+ times.
- Rank the results neatly here.
19 Best Holocaust Books
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Bloodlands
Europe Between Hitler and Stalin
Also recommended by
2 people
Eric Weinstein recommended this bookEric Weinstein
Eric Weinstein tweet about books that mattered enough to him.
Eric Weinstein's recommendation of this book
Peter Thiel recommended this bookPeter Thiel
"Tells how the Nazis and the Soviets drove each other to ever more murderous atrocities as they fought to dominate Eastern Europe." - Peter Thiel
Peter Thiel's recommendation of this book
Eichmann in Jerusalem
A Report on the Banality of Evil
Also recommended by
2 people
Dr. Phil Zimbardo recommended this bookDr. Phil Zimbardo
"[Talks] about Eichmann as illustrating the banality of evil." - Dr. Phil Zimbardo
Dr. Phil Zimbardo's recommendation of this book
Mark Manson recommended this bookMark Manson
"Overall an incredibly important book, imo." - Mark Manson
Mark Manson's recommendation of this book
Five Chimneys
A Woman Survivor's True Story of Auschwitz
Man's Search for Meaning
Also recommended by
36 people
Jordan Peterson recommended this bookJordan Peterson
Recommended on Jordan Peterson's website.
Jordan Peterson's recommendation of this book
Jocko Willink recommended this bookJocko Willink
Jocko Willink covered this book in "Jocko Podcast" Ep. 78
Jocko Willink's recommendation of this book
Esther Perel recommended this bookEsther Perel
"The book I’ve probably gifted the most is [this book], since I’m 16." - Esther Perel
Esther Perel's recommendation of this book
Emma Watson recommended this bookEmma Watson
"Loved it. Really loved it." - Emma Watson
Emma Watson's recommendation of this book
Naval Ravikant recommended this bookNaval Ravikant
"Wow it's dark." - Naval Ravikant
Naval Ravikant's recommendation of this book
David Blaine recommended this bookDavid Blaine
"One of my favorite books." - David Blaine
David Blaine's recommendation of this book +30
More recommendations
- Terry Crews
"Incredible." - Terry Crews
- Jimmy Fallon
"Talks about the meaning of life, and I believe you come out a better person from reading it." - Jimmy Fallon
- Tony Robbins
"Taught me that if you change the meaning, you change everything." - Tony Robbins
- Simon Sinek
"Single most important book you can read." - Simon Sinek
- Michael Gervais
"Outlines methods to discover deep meaning and purpose in life." - Michael Gervais
- Daniel Pink
"A hugely important book for me." - Daniel Pink
- Ev Williams
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile.
- Bryan Johnson
"His basic point is no matter the conditions we surround ourselves in, we can author our life." - Bryan Johnson
- Dustin Moskovitz
Dustin Moskovitz recommended this book on Twitter.
- Sam Altman
This book was on Sam Altman's bookshelf.
- Chelsea Handler
"One of those beautiful accounts of a terrible time in our history. His calm and sagaciousness, while witnessing one horror after another played out during his time in three separate concentration camps, is awe inspiring." - Chelsea Handler
- Ryan Holiday
"Looks at how we find purpose by dedicating ourselves to a cause, learning to love and finding a meaning to our suffering." - Ryan Holiday
- Maria Popova
"A meditation on what the gruesome experience of Auschwitz taught [the author] about the primary purpose of life: the quest for meaning, which sustained those who survived." - Maria Popova
- Aniela Gregorek
"A book I have gifted to many people because it changed the way I think about human suffering and grace in life." - Aniela Gregorek
- Fedor Holz
"[From it] I interpreted that we cannot avoid suffering, but we can choose how to cope with it, and that having meaning in our life is essential." - Fedor Holz
- Turia Pitt
"[If people are] doing a bit of soul searching, hands down [I give them this book]." - Turia Pitt
- Chip Conley
"If I were to take the meaning of [this book], and turn it into an equation, it would be despair equals suffering minus meaning." - Chip Conley
- Dave Elitch
Dave Elitch mentioned this book on "The Tim Ferriss Show" podcast.
- PewDiePie
"A great tool to help people. [...] In case something really bad happens, I feel like, from reading this book, I'm better equipped to handle it." - PewDiePie
- Shane Parrish
"As hard as you think your life is, it pales in comparison to Auschwitz." - Shane Parrish
- Phil Jackson
"An important book for me." - Phil Jackson
- Tom Bilyeu
Tom Bilyeu recommended this book on his website.
- Lex Fridman
"I reread [this book] quite often." - Lex Fridman
- Mark Manson
Mark Manson recommended this book on his website.
- Alastair Humphreys
"Slim but packed with wisdom that I often come back to. I really recommend you read it." - Alastair Humphreys
- Steve Kerr
"Incredibly inspiring." - Steve Kerr
- Robin Black
"One of the great books ever written exists because of one of the worst times in human history. From suffering comes beauty." - Robin Black
- Jim Kwik
"Illustrates that it’s not our circumstances but the decisions we make that diminish or develop us." - Jim Kwik
- Michael Hyatt
Michael Hyatt recommended this book on his website.
- Patrick Bet-David
Patrick Bet-David recommended this book on his website.
- Terry Crews
Anne Frank
The Diary of a Young Girl
Also recommended by
1 person
Alice Little recommended this bookAlice Little
"I remember being a fourth grader [and] going so far as to have my parents take it to the school board and petition for me to be allowed to read this book." - Alice Little
Alice Little's recommendation of this book
Badenheim 1939
But You Did Not Come Back
A Memoir
Escape from Sobibor
Irena's Children
The Extraordinary Story of the Woman Who Saved 2,500 Children from the Warsaw Ghetto
King of the Jews
A Novel
Nazi Germany and the Jews, 1939-1945
The Years of Extermination
Ponary Diary, 1941-1943
A Bystander's Account of a Mass Murder
The Boy on the Wooden Box
How the Impossible Became Possible . . . on Schindler's List
The Crime and the Silence
Confronting the Massacre of Jews in Wartime Jedwabne
The Hiding Place
The Holocaust
The Human Tragedy
The Lost
A Search for Six of Six Million
This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen
Voyage of the Damned
A Shocking True Story of Hope, Betrayal, and Nazi Terror
Sources
- 1
Eye-Opening Books About the Holocaust Every Reader Should Explore
explorethearchive.com
- 2
Best Holocaust Books
pennbookcenter.com
- 3
10 Holocaust Books You Should Read | My Jewish Learning
myjewishlearning.com
- 4
13 Important Books About the Holocaust | Hachette Book Group
hachettebookgroup.com
- 5
10 Best Holocaust Books [2022]
addall.com
Edited by
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.



































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