The words in the title of this review were spoken by Shlomo Venezia in his recollection of surviving the hell of Auschwitz. There are not many accounts from inside the crematoriums and gas chambers of Auschwitz. All who went into those chambers did not survive. The men who were responsible for collecting the corpses from the chambers and burning them were known as the Sonderkommando. This book is about the trials and tribulations of one of those men, Shlomo Venezia.Venezia's account of the awful things he saw is a critical and important part of the history of the Holocaust. To those who would deny the murder of over a million people, this book serves to educate and remember that these things did indeed happen.One of the most haunting parts of the book that struck me was the illustrations by David Olère, which depict the victims undressing and being inside the gas chamber. Venezia is straightforward with the grisly crimes he was forced to assist in. An important fact to know that Venezia teaches us is that he, along with the other Sonderkommando, committed no crimes themselves. They had no choice in the matter, they were forced. For they would die if they disobeyed orders. Either that, or be tortured and maimed. Under such dreadful conditions, one has to do what they can to survive. But knowing that Venezia was able to bear witness and escape that hell is a testimony to human endurance, and is also a great help in understanding and acknowledging this murderous machine the Nazis propagated. If survivors like Venezia never made it, we wouldn't have these very important eyewitness accounts. There are plenty of footnotes throughout the book that serve for further reading of other historical accounts of the Holocaust. These tend to distract at times from the account itself, if you are one, like myself, who reads footnotes for a full reading experience.With our current volatile world landscape we are living in, it is extremely important that we never let this kind of hatred bear fruit before it envelops us in darkness. This man's tale of survival is a great tool to reflect on history and never let such things happen in the future.