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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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The Volunteer summary
Jack Fairweather
One Man, an Underground Army, and the Secret Mission to Destroy Auschwitz
30 mins
Brief summary
The Volunteer by Jack Fairweather is a true story of a Polish resistance fighter who voluntarily entered Auschwitz to gather intelligence and ultimately help the Allies win WWII. It's a gripping account of courage and heroism in the face of unimaginable horror.
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The Volunteer
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Defeat and Resistance
As the sun rose on the morning of September 5, 1939, Witold Pilecki looked around in horror. The scene was nightmarish: the bodies of horses and men – his men – lay scattered around him, broken by bullets and bombs. He’d mustered these men from his home district, trained them all summer, and then led them to the frontlines to face the invading Germans. They’d wanted to defend Polish sovereignty. But a Nazi air raid had reduced them to this: a group of the dead and the dying.
Witold was a Polish patriot. Born into the gentry, he was proud of Poland’s historical status as a beacon of culture – a pluralistic, tolerant society. But his patriotism was more than intellectual: he had plenty to lose personally as well. He chose to fight because, if the Nazis invaded, they’d commandeer his home and the estate he’d inherited. His family, including his wife and two young children, would be in danger.
He’d hoped to help defeat the Nazis in combat. But, on that grim September morning, that hope was dashed. His men never stood a chance, just as Polish forces never stood a chance: the Nazi war machine had twice the number of soldiers and nearly ten times the number of fighter planes. The frontline troops, like Witold’s unit, were crushed almost immediately. In a few days, the Nazis had also taken Poland’s capital, Warsaw. The war was over.
But Witold refused to surrender. He’d sworn an oath to defend Polish sovereignty, and to that he would hold.
After the air raid, he rallied a few other survivors and decamped to the woods, to hector the Nazis as they set up their checkpoints and observation posts throughout the Polish countryside. But Witold soon realized that his talents would be of more use in Warsaw, organizing an underground resistance.
When he arrived in the capital, he saw a brutal racial order being imposed. The Nazis were dividing people into ethnic Poles and Jewish people. Jewish families were evicted from their homes and beaten as they fled. As the Germans occupied the city, they lorded their invented status as the “master race” over everyone else. Ethnic Poles were to be laborers. Jewish people were on the bottom rung of the Nazi racial order.
Witold was disgusted by the Nazis’ racialized vision for his country. He wasn’t the only one. Signs of resistance around Warsaw encouraged him, like a huge poster in the city center depicting a cartoon version of Hitler. His purpose now, he realized, was to fan the spark of resistance into a flame.
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What is The Volunteer about?
The Volunteer (2019) is an account of Witold Pilecki’s extraordinary life and death. A patriotic Pole, Pilecki volunteered to be sent to Auschwitz, the Nazi concentration camp. Not only did he bear witness to the camp’s atrocities; he smuggled out reports of what he’d seen, alerting the world to the horrors of the Holocaust.
The Volunteer Review
The Volunteer (2019) tells the incredible true story of Witold Pilecki, a Polish resistance fighter who voluntarily infiltrated Auschwitz during World War II. This book is definitely worth reading because:
- It sheds light on the untold heroism of a man who risked his life to gather information about the atrocities committed in the concentration camp.
- Through Pilecki's firsthand account, the book offers unfiltered insight into the horrors and human resilience of Auschwitz, making it a gripping and powerful read.
- Full of detail and meticulously researched, the book presents a comprehensive and vivid picture of Pilecki's mission, capturing the reader's interest from start to finish.
Who should read The Volunteer?
- Anyone interested in WWII history
- People thrilled by tales of derring-do
- Lovers of biography
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The Volunteer FAQs
What is the main message of The Volunteer?
The main message of The Volunteer is the heroic story of Witold Pilecki, a Polish resistance fighter who voluntarily went to Auschwitz to gather intelligence.
How long does it take to read The Volunteer?
The reading time for The Volunteer varies depending on the reader's speed, but it typically takes several hours. However, the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is The Volunteer a good book? Is it worth reading?
The Volunteer is a gripping and powerful account that sheds light on a lesser-known aspect of World War II. It's definitely worth reading for history enthusiasts.
Who is the author of The Volunteer?
The author of The Volunteer is Jack Fairweather.
What to read after The Volunteer?
If you're wondering what to read next after The Volunteer, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell
- Code Girls by Liza Mundy
- The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma
- Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
- The Light of Days by Judy Batalion
- Four Ways of Thinking by David Sumpter
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
- Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
- The 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss
- On Palestine by Noam Chomsky