Wladyslaw Szpilman is a professional pianist. He is also Jewish, living in Nazi-invaded Poland during World War II. This is an incredible story of survival and of horror. It is the story of the death of many around him, but also the story of the indomitable human spirit and will to survive. I saw the movie of the same title before reading the book and thought surely Hollywood made up the ending. But, no, it is what really happened (and I won't spoil it for you!). This book shows the horrible, terrible atrocities carried out by the Nazis. It also shows the way non-Jewish people helped Jews during this time. It's also incredible to think that the book was written soon after the war ended, so all the details are fresh and adequate, not unreliable remembrances from 40 years back.