The fact that THE CHILD OF AUSCHWITZ by Lily Graham was inspired by real events is just as powerful as the narrative itself. Two women, Eva and Sophie, did the unimaginable. They requested to be sent to Auschwitz. Each had her own reason. Two women, under different circumstances, who would probably never become friends formed a friendship that had no limits and this was tested and proven more than once. They were adamant they would survive the world of atrocities they had been forced into.
The story begins with the present-day voice of Nadeje, now a grandmother, who tells us that babies were born in Auschwitz. She is one of them and she puts pen to paper to tell the remarkable story of her mother, her mother's friend and of her own survival.
Skillfully told by Lily Graham, the horrors of Auschwitz come alive. Even with the degradations and inhumane acts, there were incredible acts of kindness and bravery. The birth of a child in the worst of places and under the worst of circumstances brought together a community of women who took great personal risks to do whatever they could to help this child survive.
The characters are totally believable. The sharp contrast between the prisoners and the camp's officials is clearly drawn as are the intricacies of daily life. To live to see another day became a huge accomplishment.
I found THE CHILD OF AUSCHWITZ by Lily Graham to be a profound and engrossing story. Strong themes of survival, friendship and hope make this a memorable book.
It is 1942 and Eva Adami has boarded a train to Auschwitz. Barely able to breathe due to the press of bodies and exhausted from standing up for two days, she can think only of her longed-for reunion with her husband Michal, who was sent there six months earlier. But when Eva arrives at Auschwitz, there is no sign of Michal and the stark reality of the camp comes crashing down upon her. As she lies heartbroken and shivering on a thin mattress, her head shaved by rough hands, she hears a whisper. Her bunkmate, Sofie, is reaching out her hand... As the days pass, the two women learn each other’s hopes and dreams – Eva’s is that she will find Michal alive in this terrible place, and Sofie’s is that she will be reunited with her son Tomas, over the border in an orphanage in Austria. Sofie sees the chance to engineer one last meeting between Eva and Michal and knows she must take it even if means befriending the enemy… But when Eva realizes she is pregnant, she fears she has endangered both their lives. The women promise to protect each other’s children, should the worst occur. For they are determined to hold on to the last flower of hope in the shadows and degradation: their precious children, who they pray will live to tell their story when they no longer can.
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy