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The eyes of history are quite different in a Holocaust memoir versus a volume of history books. There is no just one way of seeing the past, for history is a collection of many views that help us understand what really happened. 

When we talk about these major historical events, how do we engage with them? A history book can tell you the dates and the battle names, the larger-than-life moments, but a memoir takes you to a more human perspective, like giving you a family’s private fears and hopes.

One gives you the map, and the other gives you the footsteps on the ground. Both are needed to see the full truth.

History is not a single line, and we need as much perspective as possible to make that clear. Where a textbook gives you the skeleton of the past, a memoir puts flesh on those bones.

We need both to build a true picture for generations to come.

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Two Views of the Same Storm

When a terrible storm passes over the sea and covers a ship, there are many ways of learning about what happened. For example, the captain’s log functions like a textbook. It records the wind speed, notes the direction of the waves, and writes down the time the mast broke. These are the cold and hard facts of what happens. Beyond what can be written and recorded, there are also the individual and specific memories of the people on the boat. They are akin to memoirs, each showing what happened from a more personal and human view.

Both sets of perspectives are true, but they teach us different things.

John W. Weiser captures this feeling in his family’s escape as he notes how his family had to move from Vienna to Hungary to Brazil. A history book might simply detail their travels and the processes they undertook to get from point A to point B. In A Thousand Kisses, Weiser writes about the “palpable tension of multiple escapes,” showing us that history is not just a list of places but a series of heartbreaks and small victories. 

The eyes of history need the logbook and the memories of people. The logbook tells us the storm happened while the memories tell us why it still matters.

Both views are needed for the sake of posterity, and we owe it to the future to give them both the facts and the feelings.

Why the Past Needs Both Keepers

Some people think a memoir is less true because it is personal, and they worry about the faults and misses that a memory typically makes.

But a different standard applies here. 

People like John W. Weiser are not trying to be a perfect camera, taking a snapshot of history as it is. He is trying to be a painter and, thus, uses family letters and childhood memories as his medium, building a feeling that is true, even if a small detail is off.

The truth of a memoir is the truth of the heart and, what’s more, the truth of what the family ate for dinner while hiding from monsters.

This is a different truth than the textbook’s truth.

The textbook fact-checker looks for the right date, whereas the memoir reader looks for the right emotion. Both are important keepers of history.

They work together hand-in-hand, even if they are unaware of the other’s existence.

Without the textbook, the memoir floats without a place or time. When did this happen? Why was it dangerous? It is the textbook that answers those questions.

Without the memoir, the textbook is a dry skeleton with no evidence of breath and no trace of tears. 

A future perspective that adequately learns from history needs both, especially something as tragic and pivotal as the Holocaust.

Children in school should read the chapter on World War II, but they should also read a narrative like A Thousand Kisses. They need to see the storm from the captain’s tower and the child’s hiding spot, and they also need to understand the circumstances that preceded and followed those predicaments. That is the only way to truly understand the passing of eras.

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How to Read for the Full Picture

When you pick up a history book, put on your thinking cap and ask yourself: What is the main argument? What are the key dates? How does this event change the world map? Read with your brain first. Take notes. Look for the cause and effect and engage fully with active learning. You are building the shelves in your mental library. Though it is difficult work, it pays off in dividends in the long run, granting you the power to see large trends while also giving you deeper insights into the rules of power and conflict.

When you pick up a memoir, put your ears on listening mode and do not rush yourself to whatever moments you are looking for. Slow down because the author’s words are not data: they are a gift from the past for the people of now and the future. As you read, ask yourself: How does this feel? What would I do in this situation were I there? Read with your heart open, and let the story wash over you. This is not about memorizing facts but about connecting to another human soul across time. 

For the sake of posterity and potential prosperity, we must teach both ways to read. We need citizens who know the dates of the war, and we also need citizens who can cry for a refugee family. The eyes of history are not cold. They are warm with the tears of all who came before us.

Are you ready to see history through real eyes? Do not just read about the past in a dry list of events. Feel it, experience the fear, the love, and the courage yourself. 

Buy John W. Weiser’s A Thousand Kisses: A Family’s Escape From the Nazis to a New Life. Let his words change how you see the world.