Mel Laytner was a reporter and editor of hard news for more than twenty years, primarily covering the Middle East for NBC News and United Press International. After seven grinding years overseas, he won a prestigious Knight-Bagehot Fellowship in Economic and Business Journalism, which included a year’s residency at the Columbia Graduate School of Business. He received his BA in political science at the City College of New York and master’s degrees from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism (with a concentration in broadcast news) and Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs (with a specialization in foreign policy analysis). Mel and his wife, an artist and teacher, live in New York City and are the proud parents of three daughters.
Amazon # 1 Best Seller in History, Minority Studies, Jewish
Biographies & Memoirs2022 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards Honorable
Mention in Non-Fiction (Historical)2022 Montaigne Medal Finalist“A
scrupulously researched and dramatic remembrance… the author
presents his findings with a remarkable blend of meticulousness and
unabashed emotion, movingly communicating what he experienced
during the process.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Laytner's compelling, well-plotted memoir is always engaging and
conscientiously structured....Laytner's prose is precisely detailed
and candidly confidential—a careful blend of reportage and opinion
that strengthens the project. Alternating between the present and
the past tense, Laytner expertly grounds the reader in both the
historical sections and the contemporary narrative arc of the
work...A thought-provoking, impressive union of historical
information and personal narrative.”—BookLife Prize
“Dramatic, harrowing, and haunting. Dolek’s personal story
turns into a historical story of Holocaust survival and
determination . . . A well-written, potent story of memory and
tribute told with integrity and weight.”—Jewish Book Council
“The skills of the author - veteran newsman Mel Laytner - as both a
writer and reporter are brilliantly evident…In clear, confident and
sometimes starkly written prose, a son recovers what might well be
the memories lost with his father's loss of life. Even after
seven decades, new classics of Holocaust literature, such as this
one, are still possible.”—Benjamin Franklin Awards judge
(history)
“ …a memoir and history like no other Holocaust story…Its
eye-opening impact makes What They Didn't Burn
unparalleled, powerful, and essential reading that will
ideally prompt debates and group studies about Holocaust survivors
and Nazi experiences.”—Diane Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest
Book Review
“What a thrilling story of wartime survival! Mel Laytner has
unraveled the secrets of his father’s past, balancing a son’s love
and admiration with a reporter’s commitment to the facts. Chasing
after hidden diamonds and digging up damning Nazi documents,
Laytner weaves a chronicle of courage and luck that brings to life
an unforgettable cast of characters. A great detective story — and
an important work of history.”—Ann Kirschner, author of Sala’s
Gift and Lady at the O.K. Corral
“I know of no other work that so eloquently combines a dogged
search for a Nazi paper trail of evidence and a son’s
reconciliation with his family’s Holocaust legacy. What They
Didn’t Burn is not only an engaging piece of rigorous
research, but also a harrowing and heartwarming personal saga of
discovery.”—Scott Miller, author of Refuge Denied: The St.
Louis Passengers and the Holocaust
“A remarkable historiographical achievement that blends the
narrative pleasures of a detective story with the intellectual
fireworks of a micro-history. In tracing the evidence and
reconstructing the facts concerning a single Auschwitz prisoner,
Laytner has made a major contribution to the history of that camp
and, as such, to our understanding of the Holocaust.”—Robert Jan
van Pelt, author of The Case For Auschwitz, Evidence from the
Irving Trial
“Tightly written and compelling on every page…Very highly
recommended.”—Asher Syed for Readers’ Favorite
“...A compelling blend of memoir and historical research,
beautifully written. Laytner’s deeply personal story is an
important addition to Holocaust literature, but will also resonate
as a historical detective story. Along the way, he ponders how do
we know what we know about history, and the lives of those who made
it or were brutalized by it? Are documents better evidence than
memory? How does one understand the ethical (and unethical) choices
made by victims and victimizers alike?”—Kenneth S. Stern, director,
Bard Center for the Study of Hate, author of The Conflict over The
Conflict: The Israel/Palestine Campus Debate
“A deep dive into Nazi records reveals one man’s diamond-hard
resolve to survive…With Laytner’s keen ear for dialogue and his
evocative language, What They Didn’t Burn eloquently
bears witness to the tragedy of a family and a people.”—Tucker
Lieberman for Independent Book Review
“What They Didn’t Burn offers the reader both an emotional account
of a son retracing his father’s traumatic experiences under Nazi
persecution, and a gripping detective story of a savvy journalist
uncovering ‘what they didn’t burn.’ This beautifully written and
deeply felt book, a powerful tribute to his father’s fortitude,
also serves as a reminder that the long shadow of the Nazi past
stretches over generations.”—Gabrielle Robinson, author of Api’s
Berlin Diaries
“Mel Laytner’s book is remarkable . . . He puts his readers into
every scene, astonishing us with surprises that allowed many Jews
to survive, escaping the hideous concentration camps: Blechhammer,
Auschwitz, Buchenwald, and others . . . Never forget the Holocaust.
You will never forget Laytner’s book as well.”—Joelle Sander,
author of Before Their Time: Four Generations of Teenage Mothers,
awarded Best Book for Adults About Children by the Braun Center for
Holocaust Studies
“This book is meticulously researched and incredibly
well-written…It's factual, but evokes strong emotions. It's not dry
and dusty, instead reads like fiction through good writing. It
doesn't dramatize or become hyper emotional for effect. It's just
so real. So frighteningly real and true…This is one of those really
important books that everyone should read.”—Goodreads
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