Three Sisters
From Heather Morris, the New York Times bestselling author of the multi-million copy bestseller The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka's Journey: a story of family, courage, and resilience, inspired by a true story.
Against all odds, three Slovakian sisters have survived years of imprisonment in the most notorious death camp in Nazi Germany: Auschwitz. Livia, Magda, and Cibi have clung together, nearly died from starvation and overwork, and the brutal whims of the guards in this place of horror. But now, the allies are closing in and the sisters have one last hurdle to face: the death march from Auschwitz, as the Nazis try to erase any evidence of the prisoners held there. Due to a last minute stroke of luck, the three of them are able to escape formation and hide in the woods for days before being rescued. And this is where the story begins. From there, the three sisters travel to Israel, to their new home, but the battle for freedom takes on new forms. Livia, Magda, and Cibi must face the ghosts of their past--and some secrets that they have kept from each other--to find true peace and happiness. Inspired by a true story, and with events that overlap with those of Lale, Gita, and Cilka, The Three Sisters will hold a place in readers' hearts and minds as they experience what true courage really is.BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
I liked this book, but I didn't love it. It seemed to drag on in places. My favorite of Heather Morris's books is "Cilka's Journey." This one just felt alittle too long, like it kept going where it didn't need to. I loved the overall story and the sisters' promise to each other. The beginning was very good! I just felt that the ending went on and on.
Three Sisters by Heather Morris is the harrowing but inspiring tale of Cibi, Magda and Livi, who grew up in Slovakia. Their father was wounded during World War I and, twelve years later, will undergo surgery to remove a bullet lodged in his neck. Before the procedure, he asks his three young daughters to make a promise to him and each other that they will "always be there for one another, no matter what. That you will not allow anything to take you away from each other." The next day he dies on the operating table, and their maternal grandfather, Yitzchak, moves into their small cottage to assist their mother, Chaya. Their uncle, Ivan, lives across the street with his family and provides support, as well.
Thirteen years later, in 1942, the girls begin to comprehend the importance and ramifications of the promise they made to their father. Rumors are rampant in their village that the Nazsi are forcing Jewish boys and girls sixteen years old and older to work for them. Seventeen-year-old Magda is ill so the doctor hospitalizes her in order for her to remain safe for the time being. Livi is fifteen and the eldest, Cibi, has gone away to a training program that provides young people the necessary skills to begin a new life in Palestine, but soon returns home to find that Livi has indeed been ordered to report to the synagogue. From there, she will be transported to an undisclosed location, allegedly to work for the Germans. Cibi assures her mother that she will accompany Livi. As their mother sobs in the doorway, the two girls bravely proceed to the synagogue where they, along with many others, are herded into a classroom. After a long night there, they are marched down the streets to the train station. As Cibi and Livi pass by, they are stunned to discover that "their former friends and neighbors are hurling rotten fruit and stale bread at their heads, yelling their joy that the Jews are finally living." They can't understand what has happened to the people who shopped in their mother's store and sought her counsel. It is only the beginning of the girls' long nightmare.
Morris details the girls' unimaginable experiences. They are forced into cattle wagons at the end of a train and transported to Auschwitz where "shaven-headed, hollow-cheeked men . . . swarm the train. In blue and white striped shirts and trousers, they move like rats fleeing a sinking ship as they clamber in to the wagons and begin to throw the girls' suitcases onto the platform." Their few belongings are confiscated and Cibi tells Livi, "We will eat stones, nails, and whatever we can get our hands on, but we must survive this place."
The girls quickly learn that they must keep working in order to survive, as rumors swirl of a bunker below ground where prisoners enter alive and are carried out dead. They watch vindictive guards kill prisoners who don't work fast or hard enough, or otherwise displease them, and are forced to carry the bodies of other girls back to Auschwitz at the end of a grueling day of work. Cibi watches over Livi as she grows thinner, and memories of home and family seem like just a dream.
Five months after their arrival, they are told they are being transferred to Birkenau, a camp for women. But a fellow prisoner warns them not to get into a truck. "You must walk -- understand?" The only way to stay alive is to show the Germans that they are strong and can keep working, no matter how horrendous the conditions. The SS make selections during the morning rollcall, marking those who appear sick or weak for extermination. Even as typhus sweeps through the camp, every girl knows that if she remains in her bunk in the morning, she will be dead by the time the other prisoners return that night. So when Cibi has a raging fever, the other prisoners half carry her to and from Auschwitz where they are assigned to work each day. Every time they pass through the gates, they must walk unaided past the guards., and they are forced to stand naked to be inspected for injuries or sores that will immediately consign them to death. They are given a brief reprieve on Christmas Day because the guards are celebrating. But Cibi refuses to offer any more nightly prayers, telling Livi, "No one is listening to us."
Meanwhile, Magda remains at home with Chaya and Yitzchak, hiding in a neighbor's house or the forest when the Nazis search the houses every Friday night. Magda questions the point of hiding, telling Chaya, "They will get me sooner or later, and maybe this way, I can join Cibi and Livi." But Chaya is determined not to let the Nazis take her remaining daughter, selling what few belongings she has left in order to buy food.
But eventually, of course, the Nazis are not satisfied to simply enslave the young. Uncle Ivan has learned they "are coming for all of us," as they remove every Jew from Slovakia. In 1944, they are forced from their home, and Magda is separated from Chaya and Yitzchak. She is first taken to Ilava prison, and then transported to Birkenau where, miraculously, she is reunited with her sisters. But not for long. Soon Cibi and Livi are transferred back to Auschwitz, leaving Magda despondent and abandoned.
By late 1944, planes are flying overhead and the girls hear missiles being dropped. They are given yet another miracle by Elisabeth Volkenrath, a beautiful young SS officer who oversees Cibi's work in the post office. She facilitates a second reunion of the three sisters.
But even as the war comes to an end, the sisters must survive a grueling death march with a multitude of other female prisoners in order to make their way to real freedom.
Morris, author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka's Journey, has penned another powerful account of perseverance and survival during a period of history that must never be forgotten. Morris writes in an appropriately straight-forward manner about a subject that needs no embellishment. As with those two prior books, Morris conducted extensive research to ensure accuracy. She was fortunate to meet with Livi and many members of the family, and credibly conveys their emotions. Key events are depicted in the book exactly as they happened, including the heartbreaking moment when Cibi begs a Nazi commander to spare the lives of their mother and grandfather. Chaya's last words to Cibi were, "Look after your sisters, my darling," as she was taken to her death.
A good portion of the book is devoted to the sisters' lives after World War II when they questioned the decisions they made during the war and wrestled with survivor's guilt, questioning whether they deserved to love and be happy again. Even though the war was over, the world was still not a welcoming place for Jews and when they returned to Slovakia they encountered "everyday acts[s] of racism." Morris details the fraught journey Magda and Livi make to a new home, "desperate to believe the memories which haunt them will magically disappear once they set foot in Israel." It is not that simple, of course, but they gradually learn to "embrace the future with an open heart" after enduring so much suffering.
Morris compellingly chronicles how the three sisters' promise became a part of them and, by living up to it, they saved themselves and each other. The Three Sisters is the remarkable story of three young women who refused to give in or give up, and thrived because of their steadfastness. They survived unspeakable atrocities so they could pass their stories from generation to generation. Livi told her growing children, "You are my victory. My family is my victory." Three Sisters is the lovingly-crafted documentation of that victory. -- a must-read for students of history.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader's Copy of the book.
Thirteen years later, in 1942, the girls begin to comprehend the importance and ramifications of the promise they made to their father. Rumors are rampant in their village that the Nazsi are forcing Jewish boys and girls sixteen years old and older to work for them. Seventeen-year-old Magda is ill so the doctor hospitalizes her in order for her to remain safe for the time being. Livi is fifteen and the eldest, Cibi, has gone away to a training program that provides young people the necessary skills to begin a new life in Palestine, but soon returns home to find that Livi has indeed been ordered to report to the synagogue. From there, she will be transported to an undisclosed location, allegedly to work for the Germans. Cibi assures her mother that she will accompany Livi. As their mother sobs in the doorway, the two girls bravely proceed to the synagogue where they, along with many others, are herded into a classroom. After a long night there, they are marched down the streets to the train station. As Cibi and Livi pass by, they are stunned to discover that "their former friends and neighbors are hurling rotten fruit and stale bread at their heads, yelling their joy that the Jews are finally living." They can't understand what has happened to the people who shopped in their mother's store and sought her counsel. It is only the beginning of the girls' long nightmare.
Morris details the girls' unimaginable experiences. They are forced into cattle wagons at the end of a train and transported to Auschwitz where "shaven-headed, hollow-cheeked men . . . swarm the train. In blue and white striped shirts and trousers, they move like rats fleeing a sinking ship as they clamber in to the wagons and begin to throw the girls' suitcases onto the platform." Their few belongings are confiscated and Cibi tells Livi, "We will eat stones, nails, and whatever we can get our hands on, but we must survive this place."
The girls quickly learn that they must keep working in order to survive, as rumors swirl of a bunker below ground where prisoners enter alive and are carried out dead. They watch vindictive guards kill prisoners who don't work fast or hard enough, or otherwise displease them, and are forced to carry the bodies of other girls back to Auschwitz at the end of a grueling day of work. Cibi watches over Livi as she grows thinner, and memories of home and family seem like just a dream.
Five months after their arrival, they are told they are being transferred to Birkenau, a camp for women. But a fellow prisoner warns them not to get into a truck. "You must walk -- understand?" The only way to stay alive is to show the Germans that they are strong and can keep working, no matter how horrendous the conditions. The SS make selections during the morning rollcall, marking those who appear sick or weak for extermination. Even as typhus sweeps through the camp, every girl knows that if she remains in her bunk in the morning, she will be dead by the time the other prisoners return that night. So when Cibi has a raging fever, the other prisoners half carry her to and from Auschwitz where they are assigned to work each day. Every time they pass through the gates, they must walk unaided past the guards., and they are forced to stand naked to be inspected for injuries or sores that will immediately consign them to death. They are given a brief reprieve on Christmas Day because the guards are celebrating. But Cibi refuses to offer any more nightly prayers, telling Livi, "No one is listening to us."
Meanwhile, Magda remains at home with Chaya and Yitzchak, hiding in a neighbor's house or the forest when the Nazis search the houses every Friday night. Magda questions the point of hiding, telling Chaya, "They will get me sooner or later, and maybe this way, I can join Cibi and Livi." But Chaya is determined not to let the Nazis take her remaining daughter, selling what few belongings she has left in order to buy food.
But eventually, of course, the Nazis are not satisfied to simply enslave the young. Uncle Ivan has learned they "are coming for all of us," as they remove every Jew from Slovakia. In 1944, they are forced from their home, and Magda is separated from Chaya and Yitzchak. She is first taken to Ilava prison, and then transported to Birkenau where, miraculously, she is reunited with her sisters. But not for long. Soon Cibi and Livi are transferred back to Auschwitz, leaving Magda despondent and abandoned.
By late 1944, planes are flying overhead and the girls hear missiles being dropped. They are given yet another miracle by Elisabeth Volkenrath, a beautiful young SS officer who oversees Cibi's work in the post office. She facilitates a second reunion of the three sisters.
But even as the war comes to an end, the sisters must survive a grueling death march with a multitude of other female prisoners in order to make their way to real freedom.
Morris, author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka's Journey, has penned another powerful account of perseverance and survival during a period of history that must never be forgotten. Morris writes in an appropriately straight-forward manner about a subject that needs no embellishment. As with those two prior books, Morris conducted extensive research to ensure accuracy. She was fortunate to meet with Livi and many members of the family, and credibly conveys their emotions. Key events are depicted in the book exactly as they happened, including the heartbreaking moment when Cibi begs a Nazi commander to spare the lives of their mother and grandfather. Chaya's last words to Cibi were, "Look after your sisters, my darling," as she was taken to her death.
A good portion of the book is devoted to the sisters' lives after World War II when they questioned the decisions they made during the war and wrestled with survivor's guilt, questioning whether they deserved to love and be happy again. Even though the war was over, the world was still not a welcoming place for Jews and when they returned to Slovakia they encountered "everyday acts[s] of racism." Morris details the fraught journey Magda and Livi make to a new home, "desperate to believe the memories which haunt them will magically disappear once they set foot in Israel." It is not that simple, of course, but they gradually learn to "embrace the future with an open heart" after enduring so much suffering.
Morris compellingly chronicles how the three sisters' promise became a part of them and, by living up to it, they saved themselves and each other. The Three Sisters is the remarkable story of three young women who refused to give in or give up, and thrived because of their steadfastness. They survived unspeakable atrocities so they could pass their stories from generation to generation. Livi told her growing children, "You are my victory. My family is my victory." Three Sisters is the lovingly-crafted documentation of that victory. -- a must-read for students of history.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader's Copy of the book.
"We owe it to those who died to live best lives, become our best selves, and here we can." In the book series, unfortunately this was my least favourite. I didn't find the writing style the same subtle looming danger but more of a side note that you were kind of reminded of. It came off as more of a privileged life in an unfortunate situation which for those educated know is not possible for a concentration camp. It made it hard for me to enjoy the storyline. This was definitely centralized on the unbreakable bond between 3 sisters who overcame unspeakable tragedy in a true story to always stay together.
Wonderful story of Three Sisters always looking for each other during WW2. They end up in concentration camps, just under different circumstances.
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