Defiance

Defiance

Nechama Tec

Pub: 1993

Fin: 1st: around 2014, 2nd: 2026

I did not know that people could write this good until I read ‘Defiance’ by Necama Tec for the second time at 24 years old. The first time I read it, I was in 7th grade and it stuck with me for years upon end. Reading about the stories of the otriad’s who would fight against the Nazi’s, go on expeditions for food, sabotaging the Germans! I could not put the book down back then. Fast forward a decade and I still found myself fully entranced in the book, The writing and style of this book is impeccable, it was as if I was watching an interview, the way that Necama put everything together is gripping. The book is captivating in a way that felt fresh on the second read, i appreciated the breaking down of life in the forest, that despite Tuvia bielski creating a safe haven for the Jewish, Polish partisans that despite all he and his headquarters tried everything was not considered “fair” or “just”. The stories in this book are not one-sided where there is the hero and the villains but there is duality, a quality that can sometimes be hard to find in a documentary or historical piece. There is commentary from all sides, in that you pinpoint the truth somewhere in the middle of multiple accounts. Aside from the quality of the interviews and research, the book is very well sequenced. You get a true idea of what life was like before, during and after the Nazi occupation of Poland during the war. It is not an easy read in the sense that this is not a feel-good story, like we're talking about the Holocaust here. It is  an academic read which is cool to me because it’s historical, it’s not some “Woah these people are fighting the nazis, gunfire, bombs” that many average American stories depict war to be like. 

The book transverses these ups and downs where life for some in the forest was comfortable. It was a good time if you had a certain “value” to you. At the same time of these people who had a weight to their name there were the malbushes who had a much much rougher time and the book gets into those intricacies. It's an interesting look at how people before the war who were rich, upper class, had money NOW in the war were reduced to the bottom of the totem pole. They didn’t know how to hunt, ride horses, or pick the right plants to eat. Society flipped. 

‘Defiance’ is one of the most enthralling reads of my life. I couldn’t put the book down even on my second read, and that is thanks to Nechama Tex’s immense appreciation for the history of the Bielski Otriad and her love for the truth which I felt deeply from this book. I did not feel like I was getting bullshit from this book. This book is raw, real and is a read i'd recomend 10 times over.