Review: Sala's Gift
Redaktioneller Bericht - Kirkus ReviewsRestrained, well-handled chronicle, told primarily through letters among family members, of the five years spent by the author's mother in Nazi labor camps. Sala Garncarz married an American GI at the end of the war and never spoke to her children about her experiences. In 1991, at age 67 and headed for triple-bypass surgery, she handed a box of letters to her daughter. Kirschner, a New York management consultant, translated them and unraveled a terrible saga. Sala was the youngest of 11 children in Sosnowiec, Poland, which before the war enjoyed a thriving Jewish culture much like that of Lždz and nearby Bedzin. At 16, she was rebellious and determined to take her older sister Raizel's place when the occupying Nazis selected young people from poor homes to work in the growing labor camps. Her "job" was supposed to last for six weeks, but she was instead shuttled for five years among seven camps, part of the slave-labor network that sustained the Nazis' wartime manufacturing and construction. Part of Sala's amazing ability to survive was no doubt due to her skill at sewing; she became a seamstress and laundress for the German officers, chosen and accepted as "one clean Jew." She was also a leader among her peers, attractive and well-liked. Early on, she formed a protective friendship with an older woman named Ala Gertner, and relationships with various men helped her secure favored treatment. Unlike concentration camps such as Auschwitz (where most of her family perished after the roundup at Sosnowiec on Aug. 12, 1942), labor camps permitted inmates to send and receive letters, which were jealously hoarded as frail ties to family and truth. Kirschner allows her mother's poignant story to emerge from these heartbreaking missives, filling in the gaps with a dignified, quietly eloquent connecting narrative. A cold-eyed look at one woman's incredible journey through hell and back.
Review: Sala's Gift: My Mother's Holocaust Story
Redaktioneller Bericht - Bookreporter.com - Sarah Rachel EgelmanAnn Kirschner always knew that her mother, Sala, was a Holocaust survivor. She was aware of the bare facts of her mother's story: that she had lived in Poland and that most of her family had been killed in the camps. But Sala did not talk much about her experiences or share the details of her story. Ann learned growing up that some survivors felt the need to talk at great length about what they ... Vollständige Rezension lesen
Review: Sala's Gift: My Mother's Holocaust Story
Nutzerbericht - Sara M. - GoodreadsI picked up Sala's Gift at Book Expo in 2006. I admit, I am a bit of a sucker for Holocaust related memoirs and biographies. I have already reviewed a couple of them here. It's my own religious ... Vollständige Rezension lesen
Review: Sala's Gift: My Mother's Holocaust Story
Nutzerbericht - Eddy Allen - GoodreadsFew family secrets have the power both to transform lives and to fill in crucial gaps in world history. But then, few families have a mother and a daughter quite like Sala and Ann Kirschner. For ... Vollständige Rezension lesen
Review: Sala's Gift: My Mother's Holocaust Story
Nutzerbericht - Amber - GoodreadsI liked the idea of the story and the historical aspects of the book, but the writing was a bit disjointed. It was more of biography then a story based of fact, which is not necessarily a bad thing, it just made for a dry read. Vollständige Rezension lesen
Review: Sala's Gift: My Mother's Holocaust Story
Nutzerbericht - Quiltyknitwit - GoodreadsBeautifully written and very moving - this true story of how young Sala survived the Holocaust is one of the best books I've ever read. Vollständige Rezension lesen
Review: Sala's Gift: My Mother's Holocaust Story
Nutzerbericht - Valerie - GoodreadsHave read The Diary of Anne Frank a couple of times, but it was really interesting to read another perspective of the war and concentration camps through another set of eyes. Can't imagine being ... Vollständige Rezension lesen
Review: Sala's Gift: My Mother's Holocaust Story
Nutzerbericht - Barbara - GoodreadsAs with other Holocaust literature, my reaction to this account is profoundly emotional. I need some time to digest what I have read before I can set down my impressions. More to follow... Vollständige Rezension lesen
