You would think that once the concentration camp you are imprisoned in is liberated, you are free. You can begin to live again and rebuild the life the Nazis stole from you.
Not so for Cilka.
When Cilka arrived at Auschwitz-Birkenau, an officer took a liking to her. She was a plaything for Nazi soldiers, forced to sleep with them in exchange for her life and some basic nice clothes and human necessities. The Russians liberating the camp do not believe it was involuntary, and think she was "in bed" with Nazis in more ways than one. Heartbreakingly, she is sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in a Siberian gulag.
This book is the devastating, yet beautiful story of the aftermath of Auschwitz-Birkenau for Cilka. As is so eloquently stated in the book, "Cilka can see that she has gone from one cruel, inhuman place to another." For one girl to survive so much cruelty and inhumanity is incredible and seems impossible, but it really happened. Before reading this book, I never realized that for some people, the liberation of concentration camps was not the ending of a nightmare, but the beginning of a different one.
You will cry so much and feel so many emotions reading this book, thinking about what people like Cilka went through. It is incredible to think that anyone could survive what she did, but it is possible. There were some poignant moments that showed the heart-achingly beautiful depth of love and peace that exists in some people, made all the more powerful by their juxtaposition against horrible moments of cruelty and depraved behavior.
Five stars. I would give it more if I could. This detailing of a dark part of history is a must-read for everyone. Never again must we let hatred fester into this kind of atrocity. And as long as we have people like Cilka in this world, I think humanity stands a chance.
Not so for Cilka.
When Cilka arrived at Auschwitz-Birkenau, an officer took a liking to her. She was a plaything for Nazi soldiers, forced to sleep with them in exchange for her life and some basic nice clothes and human necessities. The Russians liberating the camp do not believe it was involuntary, and think she was "in bed" with Nazis in more ways than one. Heartbreakingly, she is sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in a Siberian gulag.
This book is the devastating, yet beautiful story of the aftermath of Auschwitz-Birkenau for Cilka. As is so eloquently stated in the book, "Cilka can see that she has gone from one cruel, inhuman place to another." For one girl to survive so much cruelty and inhumanity is incredible and seems impossible, but it really happened. Before reading this book, I never realized that for some people, the liberation of concentration camps was not the ending of a nightmare, but the beginning of a different one.
You will cry so much and feel so many emotions reading this book, thinking about what people like Cilka went through. It is incredible to think that anyone could survive what she did, but it is possible. There were some poignant moments that showed the heart-achingly beautiful depth of love and peace that exists in some people, made all the more powerful by their juxtaposition against horrible moments of cruelty and depraved behavior.
Five stars. I would give it more if I could. This detailing of a dark part of history is a must-read for everyone. Never again must we let hatred fester into this kind of atrocity. And as long as we have people like Cilka in this world, I think humanity stands a chance.