After reading and loving 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘶𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘻, I knew I had to read Cilka's Journey. Cilka survived unspeakable atrocities in Auschwitz, then a Siberian gulag, but was determined to survive. I found myself being drawn to Cilka, admiring her, and being deeply touched by her. Cilka's resilience, compassion, and spirit, despite her circumstances, made a powerful story, and one that begged to be told. Cilka's Journey was one my most anticipated books of 2019 and it was all I hoped for and more.
𝘊𝘪𝘭𝘬𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘶𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘻-𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘶 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘮𝘱. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘶 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘊𝘪𝘭𝘬𝘢 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯, 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭.
𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘊𝘪𝘭𝘬𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘚𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳.
𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳, 𝘊𝘪𝘭𝘬𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘊𝘪𝘭𝘬𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱, 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘩, 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘊𝘪𝘭𝘬𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦.
𝘊𝘪𝘭𝘬𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘶𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘻-𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘶 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘮𝘱. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘶 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘊𝘪𝘭𝘬𝘢 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯, 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭.
𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘊𝘪𝘭𝘬𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘚𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳.
𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳, 𝘊𝘪𝘭𝘬𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘊𝘪𝘭𝘬𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱, 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘩, 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘊𝘪𝘭𝘬𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦.