Mr. Seeborg’s collection includes memoirs that are generally of two categories: those written during the Holocaust, or those written by survivors, after liberation. The collection consists mainly of first-hand accounts,  such as Anna Eilenberg’s Breaking my Silence and Harry Posmantier’s The Last of the Numbered Men.  It also includes several anthologized collections of testimony and remembrance, such as We are Witnesses: Five Diaries of Teenagers who Died in the Holocaust and Forgotten Voices of the Holocaust. Marietta Moskin’s I am Rosemarie, is one title in which the author, a Holocaust survivor, relates her experiences through fictionalized characters.

With a shared Jewish heritage, the authors come from various backgrounds and locales. Many of the works describe the brutality of ghetto or camp life, in detail. Others illuminate the act of hiding under extreme duress, whether in a farm building, an underground bunker, or a hand-made shelter in the woods. All include themes of despair, hope, and survival. Often separated from their parents and families, many of the writers express their dedication to pursuing their own survival in memory of their relatives. Although there are common threads within these narratives, each one offers a unique window into the varied experiences of the authors.