What They Didn't Burn: Uncovering My Father's Holocaust Secrets

By: Mel Laytner

Narrated by: Colin Martin

What if you uncovered a Nazi paper trail that revealed your father as a man very different from the quiet, introspective Dad you knew…or thought you knew?

In this “great detective story and important work of history” (Ann Kirschner, Sala’s Gift) author Mel Laytner grew up seeing his father a quintessential Type B, passive and retiring. As he uncovers evidence the Nazis didn’t burn, another man emerges - a black market ringleader and wily camp survivor who made his own luck.

“A harrowing and heartwarming personal saga of discovery” (Scott Miller, Refuge Denied), What They Didn't Burn melds the intimacy of personal memoir with the rigors of investigative journalism to tell its inspirational story of resistance, resilience, and ultimate redemption.

“A compelling blend of memoir and historical research, beautifully written,” (Kenneth S. Stern, Bard Center for the Study of Hate) tells of a reporter's quest, a son's revelation, and a father's unlikely saga of survival - corroborated by the Nazis themselves.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

Download the accompanying reference guide.©2021 Mel Laytner (P)2021 Mel Laytner

Critic reviews

"What a thrilling story of wartime survival!...Chasing after hidden diamonds and digging up damning Nazi documents, Laytner weaves a tale of courage and luck that brings to life an unforgettable cast of characters. A great detective story - and an important work of history. (Ann Kirschner, author of Sala’s Gift)

"A compelling blend of memoir and historical research, beautifully written. (Ken Stern, director, Bard Center for Study of Hate)

"What They Didn’t Burn offers the reader both an emotional account of a son retracing his father’s traumatic experiences under Nazi persecution, and a gripping detective story of a savvy journalist uncovering “what they didn’t burn”. This beautifully written and deeply felt book, a powerful tribute to his father’s fortitude, also serves as a reminder that the long shadow of the Nazi past stretches over generations." (Gabrielle Robinson, author of Api’s Berlin Diaries)

Journalism as a labor of love

Mel Laytner’s story of his father’s life during the Holocaust follows the threads of facts and events from reports, papers, and eyewitness accounts that uncovered what his father went through. It is a meticulously documented labor of love and truth and should be read by anyone interested in the history of that terrible time and its aftermath affecting family, friends, and children. As a son of survivors, I appreciate the work and understand the need to continue to tell the story. I highly recommend it.

What They Didn’t Burn

Never easy finding answers to questions that were never asked. Mel Laytner does as good a job one can trying to relive his father’s unthinkable life in World War II Europe. Through years of research and tying together family stories one feels the heartache of a child of Holocaust survivors into his own adulthood. I must read for holocaust memoirs.