After half a decade of silence, Jean Samuel finally decided to speak out about his harrowing experiences at the concentration camps of Auschwitz. For many years he chose to let fellow prisoner and dear friend Primo Levi recount their story of survival. But with the number of men and women who still have memories of Auschwitz declining, he felt compelled to leave an account for his children and grandchildren.

Pikolo was the Italian nickname given to the young Jewish man from Alsace by Levi shortly after his arrival at the camp. In his memoir Survival in Auschwitz, Levi writes about Jean Samuel with admiration for his ability to endure life and ultimately survive in the camp. In his own memoir, Samuel makes several references to Levi’s work and how he in turn remembers the same events. He describes how as one of the many anonymous prisoners, he retained a sense of identity and humanity because of his unique friendship with Levi, all of which helped to resist the horrors of the camp.

An important link to Levi’s story, this powerful account by Samuel is an invaluable addition to the literature of the Holocaust.