Summary Of Speak You Also By Paul Steinberg

Speak You Also is an autobiography written by Paul Steinberg. He tells his story about how he went from freedom to being arrested in Paris, taken to Drancy, and then transported to Auschwitz. Throughout the book Steinberg explains how he was able to survive and advance to the next day. Going through moments, and rationalizing what he was thinking, and what he was doing.
The book begins with him in Paris. We learn about his gambling habits, and how he came to be a survivor of Auschwitz. To start he was arrested in a Paris bakery. When he was being arrested he bought a chemistry book with him. He wanted to have the book as a way to be educated as well as give him something to rely on. He was taken to his house where he was told to pack up his

Once there he was forced to leave everything behind, including his chemistry book. However, by then he had memorized the whole book, leading to better job conditions. Since he had the book known cover to cover it helped his chance of survival because he was able to use is knowledge about chemistry. He was able to get a job thanks to is chemistry knowledge, this meant working indoors, and not having to do the labor intensive jobs. Even though he had a better job he was still in Auschwitz, meaning there was nothing easy about it. He went through the same process as everyone else. He was required to leave his belongings, shaving of the hair, the marking of a tattoo, and then shower. Philippe died in, Steinberg recalls the moment he found out, and what it was like recalling the memory of

He was going to need to do an oral exam, to prove his knowledge and abilities. During his time, it never occurred to him that he should be loading up on chemistry information. He had to rely on the information he had gotten from his chemistry book. He was able to pass the test by answering one question, Chromium. He was able to fool the Nazis another day, which to him, felt like revenge. In his mind anytime he was able to fool the Nazis he was proving that there were not the dominant culture and could be, and was, outsmarted.
One story that haunts Steinberg is on about slapping another prisoner. Steinberg becomes furious with an old polish Jew, who is still lying in the bunk. Steinberg asks him to get out of bed, but the old man mumbles something instead. Steinberg ends up slapping him. Steinberg talks about how he had fallen in to the corruption, and how he was now contributing to the violence. To make things worse for Steinberg, the old man ended up dying that same