The Boy on the Wooden Box

By: Leon Leyson, Marilyn J. Harran - contributor

Narrated by: Danny Burstein

Leon Leyson (born Leib Lezjon) was only 10 years old when the Nazis invaded Poland and his family was forced to relocate to the Krakow ghetto. With incredible luck, perseverance and grit, Leyson was able to survive the sadism of the Nazis, including that of the demonic Amon Goeth, commandant of Plaszow, the concentration camp outside Krakow. Ultimately, it was the generosity and cunning of one man, a man named Oskar Schindler, who saved Leon Leyson's life, and the lives of his mother, his father, and two of his four siblings, by adding their names to his list of workers in his factory - a list that became world renowned: Schindler's List.

This, the only memoir published by a former Schindler's List child, perfectly captures the innocence of a small boy who goes through the unthinkable. Most notable is the lack of rancour, the lack of venom, and the abundance of dignity in Mr Leyson's telling. The Boy on the Wooden Box is a legacy of hope, a memoir unlike anything you've ever read.

©2013 Leon Leyson (P)2013 Simon & Schuster

A boy in the concentration camp

This book is the only memoir published by a former Schindler's list child. Leon Leyson (Leib Lezjon) a Polish-Jew was 10 years old when the Nazi attacked Poland. His family was placed inside the Krakow ghetto. Part of the book goes into detail of his life in the ghetto. The plant his father worked for was taken over by Oskar Schindler but the papers provided by Schindler did not protect the family for long and they were placed into the Plaszow concentration camp on the out skirts of Krakow. Leyson goes into detail about his life in the camp his fear of Captain Amon Goeth and his guards. The story does tell of fear, hunger, and death but also of hope and the goodness of people even in horrid conditions. Some claim the Amon Goeth(commandant of the concentration camp) should be counted as a savior of Jews because he took bribes from Jews and Schindler to send certain Jews to labor camps instead of death camps, Leyson primarily paints him as a cruel bully. He describes how Schindler managed to get his family and 1200 Jews out of the Camp. The ending of the book reveals Leyson life in California his education and become a teacher. Many years later he had newspaper and T.V. interviews and found that people were very interested in his life as a teenager in the concentration camps. When he first came to the USA people were not ready to hear his story. This is a must read book for everyone but teenager would benefit greatly from the message in the book. This book would make a great selection for a school book report. Danny Burstein did a great job narrating the book with all the Polish and German words.

Loved the boy!

The audio did not match the book. I had my 7th grade classes listened and follow along with the book. It was confusing when the text did not match up.

This is my kind of story

Beautifully written, powerful and moving. I love such nonfiction with such important historical significance and such remarkable human resilience.

Truth

true stories like this must be heard... Trump days can make it all happen again. Not in Germany but here in United States of America

A MUST read by all

I read a lot of WW II books, and I do believe this is one of my favorites!
I would love to meet the author and just hug him. Thank you for giving to those who were not around and didn’t know what really went on. I am not Jewish, but am sickened by how y’all were treated and abused. Your people are my people and I respect and admire all those who suffered and those who never made it out. Thank you for writing this story, may those you loved always be remembered forever. Debbie.
I would love to know when you come to Winter Park Florida......I would have you come to my book club.......this book is amazing

Engaging, and a valuable lesson into our past.

Some was just horrifying, but well told. God bless those who suffered through those years...

Audible.com

Excellent book! I would encourage everyone to read it. The tour tour was great. Many thanks for making this book!

Thoroughly enjoyable, interesting and historically informative

My grandson and I learned so much from this book about the daily struggle to survive as a Polish Jew during the Holocaust.

One more Holocaust Survivor Testimony

I liked the historical truth. Well written story of another survivor due to Oskar Schindler’s bravery.

A Captivating Memoir of Horror and Heroism

I stumbled upon this book in search of a WWII addition to my high school American Literate class reading list. Leyson recounts his experiences before, during, and after the war with realistic candidness, but without being overly gruesome. His story provides a vivid picture of the horrors of Nazi crimes against Jews while also weaving threads of hope and the beauty of humanity into the narrative. This book stands with other great works about the Holocaust and should be considered a “must read.”