"A meticulously researched memoir [that] reads like a treasure hunt… The ensuing powerful narrative is dramatic, harrowing and haunting....a well-written potent story of memory and tribute told with integrity and weight. 

The skills of the author - veteran newsman Mel Laytner - as both a writer and reporter are brilliantly evident… Even after seven decades, new classics of Holocaust literature, such as this one, are still possible.

--Franklin Awards Judge (history)

Laytner's compelling, well-plotted memoir is always engaging and conscientiously structured.  By interspersing historical content and journalism with personal accounts and reconstructed memories, Laytner keeps the narrative moving and provokes readers’ curiosity.

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

Tightly written and compelling on every page... Dolek’s “luck” proves to be a terrifying endurance test. This is most certainly not luck. It is the grit and rapid intelligence of a man who can read a situation quickly to maximize the odds of survival. Very highly recommended. 

...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.