Synopses & Reviews
The author documents her experiences during World War II through a secret diary she kept during her time in a concentration camp and the years following the war.
Synopsis
A haunting eyewitness account, this is the remarkable story of a woman who had seen and survived the unspeakable evils of the Holocaust. Bannister's memoir is in part a tragedy, yet it's also an unforgettable true story about forgiveness, courage, and hope.
Synopsis
Bannister carried a secret almost to her Tennessee grave: the diaries she kept as a young girl experiencing the horrors of the Holocaust. Her writings tell the remarkable tale of how a wealthy Russian girl learns the value of human life and the importance of forgiveness.
Table of Contents
Boarding the train -- Baby Sarah -- Before the Holocaust -- Move to Taganrog -- Move to Rostov-on-Don -- A day in the park -- The depression in Russia: Stalin's power -- Winter vacation with babushka at the dacha -- Our journey by train -- Homecoming welcome -- Our fun time begins -- Christmas church service -- Christmas Day 1932 -- Reflections on childhood -- Back to reality: 1933 -- Troubled times: 1933-34 -- Changing times: 1934-35 -- Wine-tasting time -- Times of uncertainty: 1937 -- Remembrances -- Germany attacks Poland -- Preparations for the invasion -- Our world begins to crumble -- Papa is found in hiding -- My last minutes with Papa -- Papa's burial -- Life without Papa -- Surviving the German occupation of Konstantinowka -- August 1942 -- The end of the line -- Identification patches -- Labor camp, our first assignment: 1942 -- The break: Spring 1943 -- Loss of Mama to the Gestapo: September 1943 -- Survival to the end -- Last message from Mama -- Searching for Mama: Merxhausen hospital -- New life -- The final arrangements.