by Primo Levi
First published 1975
Primo Levi's life is a test-tube of the human experience. From his youth in Fascist Italy to his imprisonment in Auschwitz, he distills his story through the lens of chemistry. With each chapter a different element, Levi's memoir becomes a periodic table of his tragedies and triumphs, all filtered through his scientific mind. As he navigates the lethal compounds of the Holocaust, his quest for understanding never wavers, even in the face of unspeakable horrors.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, autobiography, biography-memoir, chemistry, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, survival
Setting: Italy
Period: 20th century
233 pages · Paperback · Abacus
Content warnings: violence