The Crime and the Silence: Confronting the Massacre of Jews in Wartime Jedwabne
by Anna Bikont
Why read it
It is a masterpiece of investigative journalism and oral history that dives into the July 1941 massacre in Jedwabne, Poland, where local Catholic townspeople rounded up and burned alive hundreds of their Jewish neighbors. Anna Bikont follows the explosive aftermath of Jan T. Gross's revelations decades later, travelling across Poland and the world to interview surviving victims, bystanders, and perpetrators. It is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the complexities of wartime complicity, local antisemitism, and how communities construct—and resist—historical memory.
Where to get it
While an official English audiobook edition has not been widely produced, you can explore digital platforms such as Storytel Netherlands, Kobo Plus, and Audible for potential availability or related audio releases. Ebook editions in English and the Dutch translation (De misdaad en het zwijgen) are widely accessible via Kobo, Google Play, Apple Books, and the online collection of the Dutch public library. Physical English paperback and Dutch translation copies can be ordered from bol.com or requested through local bookshops like Athenaeum Boekhandel and Waterstones Amsterdam.
What to expect
Uncompromising, forensic, and deeply somber. Structured in alternating journal entries and thematic interview chapters, the pace is steady and cumulative rather than fast, requiring considerable emotional stamina and concentration. Content notes: contains graphic, unflinching eyewitness descriptions of extreme violence, torture, burnings, wartime atrocities, and virulent antisemitism, as well as accounts of subsequent harassment against surviving witnesses.
Want to change something?