Book Reviews

Rena's Promise: A Story of Sisters in Auschwitz

Sent to Auschwitz on the first Jewish transport, Rena Kornreich survived the Nazi death camps for over three years. While there she was reunited with her sister Danka. Each day became a struggle to fulfill the promise Rena made to her mother when the family was forced to split apart--a promise to take care of her sister.

One of the few Holocaust memoirs about the lives of women in the camps, Rena's Promise is a compelling story of the fleeting human connections that fostered determination and made survival a possibility. From the bonds between mothers, daughters, and sisters, to the links between prisoners, and even prisoners and guards, Rena's Promise reminds us of the humanity and hope that survives inordinate inhumanity.

Rena's Promise is one of my favorite books. When I decided to make a page with book reviews - this was the first one I thought of. Written by Heather Dune Macadam and Rena herself, her story sounds like some wild fantasy that someone made up, but it's all true...

Rena died a few years ago but Heather continues to spread her story of survival, courage and hope. It's painful to read at times as Rena and her sister faced suffering that's hard to imagine, but what makes the book so amazing is the love and loyalty Rena and her sister have for each other and the kindness of others that helped them to survive.