Community Reviews
I really wanted to like this more. This is probably my favorite type of genre and the lowest rated book in that genre. First of all, I didn't realize it is a YA book. I don't typically read YA but since I wanted to read this story, I kept going. It just seemed choppy to me and a lot of secondary characters that I just couldn't keep straight.
This is the true story of Stefania Podgorska, a young girl living in Prezemysl, Poland in 1942. She left her family farm (never could figure out why) and is working for the Diamant in their grocery store and eventually lives in their house. She even has a secret betrothal to one of their sons, Izio. Stefania is Catholic and the Diamant family is Jewish. When the German army invades the town, the Jews are rounded up and sent to live in the ghetto. Stefania is left alone to care for her younger sister (confusing how she found her too) while living in the Diamant's house. The knock at the door changes everything. Izio is killed in the death camps and his brother, Max, returns to his family home to ask the most impossible question of Stefania. What follows is the true story of Stefania hiding Max and twelve Jews while caring for her sister and having 2 Nazis living below. It is a remarkable story of hope and sacrifice when everything else is gone. I found the author's note at the back of the book, with real photographs, fascinating. As always, these are powerful stories to tell and ones that should not be forgotten.
This is the true story of Stefania Podgorska, a young girl living in Prezemysl, Poland in 1942. She left her family farm (never could figure out why) and is working for the Diamant in their grocery store and eventually lives in their house. She even has a secret betrothal to one of their sons, Izio. Stefania is Catholic and the Diamant family is Jewish. When the German army invades the town, the Jews are rounded up and sent to live in the ghetto. Stefania is left alone to care for her younger sister (confusing how she found her too) while living in the Diamant's house. The knock at the door changes everything. Izio is killed in the death camps and his brother, Max, returns to his family home to ask the most impossible question of Stefania. What follows is the true story of Stefania hiding Max and twelve Jews while caring for her sister and having 2 Nazis living below. It is a remarkable story of hope and sacrifice when everything else is gone. I found the author's note at the back of the book, with real photographs, fascinating. As always, these are powerful stories to tell and ones that should not be forgotten.
This is a great story! One of the best historical fiction books I’ve read in a long time. I 100% recommend to history buffs, young adults trying to get into history, or even just people looking for a good book!
Impossible to put down. Unbelievable what this young woman and the people she loved had to go through.
Oh, wow! This book is beautiful and terrifying. I ended up just feeling so grateful for my life after reading it. And wanting to be a better person. The writing is amazing and it's such an inspiration, especially since it's a true story!
This book was hard for me to get into but I did end up liking it. I didn’t even realize it was a true story and when I wanted to look something up and found so much info the author had researched I immediately liked it so much better. I love a true story you can put faces and pictures of places to! I thought her story was really fascinating even if there were some loose ends that left me wondering. But overall a really good book with a great ending!
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