Publisher's Synopsis
In this memoir, Helen Farkas shares her terrifying and painful story with moving honesty and simplicity. A witness to the rise of anti-Semitism and the Nazi occupation of Hungary, she recounts her family's deportation to a local ghetto, and ultimately the horrifying reality of the infamous death camp Auschwitz. She describes her terrible losses, the death march they endured, and her daring escape. It is a story of an ordinary woman surviving extraordinary circumstances. Despite the horrors, it is also a love story, as Helen is reunited with her prewar fiancé and together they seek a better life in America. This book is an inspiring testament to human resilience and the author's strength and ultimate triumph will stay with the reader. In her Epilogue, Farkas offers us perspective on our lives when she tells us, "When I awake every morning, I realize that I am grateful just to be alive and see the shining sun." "With this small book, Helen Farkas makes a significant contribution to all of society. By understatement, she makes real the enormous suffering, terror, and tragedy she witnessed as a young woman caught in the vicious Nazi plan. She challenges all of us to accept responsibility for the policies and actions of our government." - Tom Lantos, former US Congressman
