Author Douglas Wellman Illuminates the Truth About Authoritarianism, Censorship and Control of the Media in His New Book “A Teenage Girl in Auschwitz“
Author and World War II historian Douglas Wellman is noticing a shift in journalism today that he says, “is suspicious.” In his newest book A Teenage Girl in Auschwitz: Basha Freilich and the Will to Live, Douglas Wellman says the way information was controlled by the Nazi regime is what led to the horror of killing innocent people simply because they were Jewish or because they were “others,” the type of person that was tarnished and dehumanized by propaganda. According to Wellman, “The shift in journalism today seems very suspicious because when truth is lost and rampant use of social media or national media outlets continue to deny their audience accurate accounts of what is happening today, the lies and half-facts can go unchecked. It is this kind of control that could lead to even more incidents of antisemitism and violence against Jewish people.”
In his new book, A Teenage Girl in Auschwitz: Basha Freilich and the Will to Live, Douglas Wellman tells the true story of survival by Basha Freilich, a fourteen-year-old girl whose real-life recordings of her Holocaust horror and ultimate survival is what the book was based on. Wellman then added more facts and photos from the historical record to her story which provides solid historical knowledge and adds even more truth to the historical record on what actually happened during the Holocaust.
The book also highlights a grim example of the way lies and propaganda in 1934, Germany, under Nazi party rule, guided the leadership of Adolf Hitler. Once the Nazis were in control, they banned all media that was in opposition to Hitler’s own political goals. His government imposed strict censorship on news and gave German citizens ideas to follow based only on a Nazi version of the truth.
The ramifications of this kind of propaganda changed the German youth at the time because they believed lies and misinformation and then acted on Nazi prejudice and hatred. In Nazi youth groups, young adults were taught to believe that the Jews were subhuman. Many took the twisted belief that some people could be treated as non-human, so it was not a concern to lead millions to death in extermination camps.
Douglas Wellman hopes everyone will read his book A Teenage Girl in Auschwitz to honor May 6, 2024, for Holocaust Remembrance Day. He wants us all to be reminded of the power in controlling the media and how another Hitler can rise to power again.
According to Douglas Wellman, “It will not take much to create the next Holocaust, whether it be against the Jews again, or others who fall in disfavor with those in power. A dominant, authoritarian government, backed by a compliant media will capture the eyes and ears of the public and, without opposing thought, lead them in any direction they wish them to go.”
Douglas Wellman will post his thoughts and more at douglaswellman-author877 on his YouTube channel.
