Susan J. Eischeid is a performer and teacher specializing in the music of the Holocaust. Professor of Oboe at Valdosta State University, she was drawn to the Maria Mandl story through her involvement with members of the women's orchestra at Auschwitz-Birkenau. In the course of twenty years devoted to her subject, she has been privileged to interview many survivors of the Holocaust, as well as dozens of persons with ties to Mandl including family members and perpetrators. Eischeid has also presented multiple recitals and lectures about music and musicians of the Holocaust period across the United States and in Europe. She can be reached at SusanEischeid.com.
Praise for Mistress Of Life And Death
“A vivid, painful record.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Brilliantly researched, revealing new material and interviews, and
grippingly written with insight and understanding, this searing
biography of a complex individual should be compulsory reading.
—Anne Sebba, New York Times bestselling author of Les
Parisiennes
“A distinctive contribution to Holocaust studies, Eischeid’s
significant biography of Maria Mandl will offer page-turning
insight about the Holocaust and humanity.” —John K. Roth, author of
Sources of Holocaust Insight
“Susan Eischeid’s new biography of the chief female guard of
the Women’s Camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau affords the reader a glimpse
of how the Nazi female perpetrators participated in that ‘terror
state.’” —Daniel Patrick Brown, author of The Camp Women: Female
Auxiliaries Who Assisted the SS in Running the Nazi Concentration
Camp System
“Eischeid’s book will make you a stronger parent, teacher,
friend, and social justice advocate. It will move you closer to
being your best self.” —Sara Lambert Bloom, oboist, educator;
author of The Robert Bloom Collection
“Fascinating and unflinching, Mistress of Life and Death draws on
powerful sources and original research to scrutinize the
complexities of a notorious Nazi criminal. An important
addition to the growing body of work about female perpetrators in
the Third Reich." —Lucy Adlington, author of The Dressmakers of
Auschwitz: The True Story of the Women Who Sewed to Survive
“A masterful, deeply researched, and painstaking account of Maria
Mandl’s life, her rise as head overseer of the women’s camp at
Auschwitz-Birkenau, and her eventual descent as a war criminal.
Eischeid has drawn an indelible and detailed portrait of a
terrifying enigma, giving us a timely biography at a moment when
modern history threatens to repeat itself.” —Gina Roitman, author
of Don’t Ask; subject of the award-winning documentary film "My
Mother, the Nazi Midwife, and Me"
“These staggering pages, the culmination of more than two decades’
work, include research avenues beyond standard expectations. This
is not only a book for students of the Holocaust and its lessons,
but one every denier should read.” —Alison Owings, author of
Frauen: German Women Recall the Third Reich
“Eischeid reveals in impressive breadth and detail the story of one
of the most horrific female SS overseers that existed during the
Nazi era. The book is brilliantly and accurately researched. Do we
need to know all this? Yes, we must, because we must NEVER forget
what happened.” —Stefan Heucke, composer of the opera "Das
Frauenorchester von Auschwitz"
“In this revealing and riveting story of Maria Mandl, we are
captivated and intrigued by a woman who was responsible for some of
the greatest war crimes in our recent history.” —Francine
Zuckerman, Producer/Director, Z Films
“Maria Mandl's actions as a concentration camp guard are a stark
reminder of the brutality and inhumanity of the Holocaust and serve
as a testament to the importance of remembering and studying this
dark period in human history.” —Philippe Kahn, Inventor, scientist,
and creator of the first camera-phone
![]() |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
![]() |