Basic book info, publisher, ISBNs, list prices, endorsements (PDF).
Contact: info@mellaytnerauthor.com
MEDIA & MENTIONS-old
MEDIA & MENTIONS for WHAT THEY DIDN'T BURN
Press & Media Kit
Article on the challenges of melding journalism with personal memoir for The Silurians, one of the oldest press clubs in New York City.
(click to download full article)
Jonathan Dunksy, author of the popular Israeli mystery Adam Lapid series, interviews Mel Laytner about the challenges in writing nonfiction history to be as engaging and accessible as good fiction
Click here for downloadable PDF of Mel's short biographical statement (same as "ABOUT ME" page)
THE JEWISH LINK
(book review)
Praise & Reviews
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 (click here for full review)
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.
-- Katarina, 9-27-2021
A master writer who paints pictures in your head that make you think you’re in the ghetto, in the camp and on the death march standing next to his father. A writer who paints masterpieces in your mind that cause your lacrimal glands to secret tears and make you realize it’s time to visit the graves of your parents. -- Mort Laitner (click for full blog.)
Tightly written and compelling on every page, the progression of 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.
--Asher Syed for Readers Favorite
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...Even after seven decades, new classics of Holocaust literature, such as this one, are still possible.
--Franklin Awards Judge (history)
Author's Conversation sponsored by the Jewish Community Relations Council at Raab/Goodwin Center's Annual Generations After Brunch. I was interviewed by local 3G Rachel Howe. This program is in partnership with Samost Jewish Family & Children Service.
"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.
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
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 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
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
9/24/2021