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For Maria
Thousands of Jewish “hidden” children disappeared into the vortex of a horrific war. And Madeline, a freelance journalist, is driven to find two of them…her long-lost aunts.
December, 1939.
When the Gestapo haul Izaak and Maria Szpilmann away to Ravensbrück, their twin infants are left behind to die. Instead, neighbors Gustaw and Ròsa Dudek rescue the babies and flee occupied Poland. They are never heard from again.
Today.
Maria Szpilmann has survived Ravensbrück, Auschwitz, and Bergen-Belsen. Now she is grandmother to Madeline Sommers, a young journalist who, despite the odds, passionately clings to the belief that the lost twins are still alive. Her single-minded mission is to find them—and reunite them with her failing grandmother—before it’s too late.
“Tough topic handled with accuracy, overflowing in compassion, and spiced with joys of life despite appalling circumstances, For Maria is an absorbing novel.”
—Tessa Stockton, Descendant of a hidden child and author of The Unforgivable
The stunning sequel to the beloved Katia
“Bruce Judisch’s explorations of history are reminiscent of the best of Bodie Thoene or Tricia Goyer. You won’t regret taking this journey.”
—Eric Wilson, NY Times bestselling author of Fireproof and Two Seconds Late
December, 1939.
When the Gestapo haul Izaak and Maria Szpilmann away to Ravensbrück, their twin infants are left behind to die. Instead, neighbors Gustaw and Ròsa Dudek rescue the babies and flee occupied Poland. They are never heard from again.
Today.
Maria Szpilmann has survived Ravensbrück, Auschwitz, and Bergen-Belsen. Now she is grandmother to Madeline Sommers, a young journalist who, despite the odds, passionately clings to the belief that the lost twins are still alive. Her single-minded mission is to find them—and reunite them with her failing grandmother—before it’s too late.
“Tough topic handled with accuracy, overflowing in compassion, and spiced with joys of life despite appalling circumstances, For Maria is an absorbing novel.”
—Tessa Stockton, Descendant of a hidden child and author of The Unforgivable
The stunning sequel to the beloved Katia
“Bruce Judisch’s explorations of history are reminiscent of the best of Bodie Thoene or Tricia Goyer. You won’t regret taking this journey.”
—Eric Wilson, NY Times bestselling author of Fireproof and Two Seconds Late
248 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
333 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 1, 2012
Difficult subject, beautifully and accurately represented. . . .
The matter of the Hidden Children is one not readily discussed, much less written about. Still, it is equally vital to become familiar with, and understand, the plight of the wartime adolescents, from babies to teens, sometimes now referred to as WWII’s secret survivors. Their stories are profound and enlightening.
I know this theme firsthand due to those in my own family who suffered a similar experience as Lilli-Anna and Kammbrie in Bruce Judisch’s book, For Maria. I also recognize the particular repercussions as an effect of dire circumstances or misunderstandings, the emotional wounds, desperate yet furtive need to heal, for closure in the form of questions answered, dignity restored, the past clarified a bit more above the color of gray, and reasoning which takes on a brighter shade of humanity.
Wow! For Maria, is both an accurate depiction and truthful—I dare say, painful—journey from an era of helplessness and injustice allotted to individuals simply by association at birth to the remedial, painstaking patchwork of fragmented pieces. It helps give shape to a largely indiscernible puzzle.
And as the highly skilled and eloquent nature of Bruce Judisch’s literary voice continues in its promenade after Katia, the prequel to For Maria, readers are again in capable hands. They are treated with care and respect while taken on a vivid passage, then dusted with the perfect amount of comedy, romance, and airiness, lending to an ideal balance between well-researched facts and the dampening shroud of genocide.
This novel took my breath away.
The matter of the Hidden Children is one not readily discussed, much less written about. Still, it is equally vital to become familiar with, and understand, the plight of the wartime adolescents, from babies to teens, sometimes now referred to as WWII’s secret survivors. Their stories are profound and enlightening.
I know this theme firsthand due to those in my own family who suffered a similar experience as Lilli-Anna and Kammbrie in Bruce Judisch’s book, For Maria. I also recognize the particular repercussions as an effect of dire circumstances or misunderstandings, the emotional wounds, desperate yet furtive need to heal, for closure in the form of questions answered, dignity restored, the past clarified a bit more above the color of gray, and reasoning which takes on a brighter shade of humanity.
Wow! For Maria, is both an accurate depiction and truthful—I dare say, painful—journey from an era of helplessness and injustice allotted to individuals simply by association at birth to the remedial, painstaking patchwork of fragmented pieces. It helps give shape to a largely indiscernible puzzle.
And as the highly skilled and eloquent nature of Bruce Judisch’s literary voice continues in its promenade after Katia, the prequel to For Maria, readers are again in capable hands. They are treated with care and respect while taken on a vivid passage, then dusted with the perfect amount of comedy, romance, and airiness, lending to an ideal balance between well-researched facts and the dampening shroud of genocide.
This novel took my breath away.
January 11, 2016
In Bruce Judisch’s Katia, the book that was published before this one, Madeline McAllister, a young American studying in Germany, discovered that her grandmother’s twin daughters were separated from their parents when the mother and father were arrested by Nazis during World War II.
The father died in the concentration camps, but the twins’ mother, Madeline’s grandmother, survived and later married a Canadian and immigrated to Canada. In For Maria, Madeline is back in the U.S. and married to Brendon Sommers. She continues her search for the twins. What happened to them after they were separated from their parents? Her grandmother is in her early nineties and ill. Madeline hopes to find her daughters—Madeline’s aunts—and reunite them with their mother before the mother dies
The story is told by the different participants in the past and the present as Madeline traces the twins’ trail. A neighbor couple, Gustaw and Rosa Dudek, rescued the twins, then had to escape from the Nazis. What happened to them and the twins?
The centerpiece in this story is one of the heartrending events of the war, the smuggling out of Germany of Jewish children before the Gestapo could find them. Over a million children perished in the concentration camps, but thousands of children escaped and found refuge in America and other countries.
For Maria is the story of two children in this time of madness and the heroic woman who shepherded them across Europe. It’s also the story of estrangement and of a final chance to reconcile.
May 8, 2013
Title: FOR MARIA
Author: Bruce Judisch
Publisher: OakTara
September 2012
ISBN: 978-1602903258
Genre: Historical
Thousands of Jewish "hidden" children disappeared into the vortex of a horrific war. And Madeline, a freelance journalist, is driven to find two of them...her long-lost aunts.
December, 1939. When the Gestapo haul Izaak and Maria Szpilmann away to Ravensbrück, their twin infants are left behind to die. Instead, neighbors Gustaw and Ròsa Dudek rescue the babies and flee occupied Poland. They are never heard from again.
Today. Maria Szpilmann has survived Ravensbrück, Auschwitz, and Bergen-Belsen. Now she is grandmother to Madeline Sommers, a young journalist who, despite the odds, passionately clings to the belief that the lost twins are still alive. Her single-minded mission is to find them-and reunite them with her failing grandmother-before it's too late.
FOR MARIA is the sequal to Katia, which I didn’t read. This is the first book by Mr. Judisch that I have read. The story is engaging. Written in Madeline, and her husband’s, Brendon’s points-of-view as they struggle to balance work, family, and their marriage while Madeline searches for relatives she never met.
The story is sweet, at times poignant, and bittersweet. It is a horrific time period, but evident that Mr. Judisch did his research. If you are interested in WWII and the effects of it, FOR MARIA is a book that should be on your to-be-read list. Recommended. $16.95. 348 pages.
Author: Bruce Judisch
Publisher: OakTara
September 2012
ISBN: 978-1602903258
Genre: Historical
Thousands of Jewish "hidden" children disappeared into the vortex of a horrific war. And Madeline, a freelance journalist, is driven to find two of them...her long-lost aunts.
December, 1939. When the Gestapo haul Izaak and Maria Szpilmann away to Ravensbrück, their twin infants are left behind to die. Instead, neighbors Gustaw and Ròsa Dudek rescue the babies and flee occupied Poland. They are never heard from again.
Today. Maria Szpilmann has survived Ravensbrück, Auschwitz, and Bergen-Belsen. Now she is grandmother to Madeline Sommers, a young journalist who, despite the odds, passionately clings to the belief that the lost twins are still alive. Her single-minded mission is to find them-and reunite them with her failing grandmother-before it's too late.
FOR MARIA is the sequal to Katia, which I didn’t read. This is the first book by Mr. Judisch that I have read. The story is engaging. Written in Madeline, and her husband’s, Brendon’s points-of-view as they struggle to balance work, family, and their marriage while Madeline searches for relatives she never met.
The story is sweet, at times poignant, and bittersweet. It is a horrific time period, but evident that Mr. Judisch did his research. If you are interested in WWII and the effects of it, FOR MARIA is a book that should be on your to-be-read list. Recommended. $16.95. 348 pages.
December 10, 2012
Really enjoyed this book. Interesting and engaging characters and a well written story about issues encountered in the war. Difficult to put down once I started.
August 24, 2013
For Maria by Bruce Judisch
I enjoyed this very interesting book. It is uniquely written with two parallel stories—one contemporary and one historical. The contemporary story is about Brendon and Madeline. They have children, jobs, and aspirations. Can their marriage survive? The historical story is about two Jewish babies left behind, when their parents were arrested by the Germans. How will these twins survive?
There is a wonderful cast of interesting characters in For Maria. Madeline is a bit too driven in her pursuit to find the answer to the mystery of the twins. Brendon is a wonderful hero, made more endearing by his physical limitations.
Rósa Dudeck, the heroine of the twins’ story, is a strong woman driven by love for her children. Her determination and resourcefulness in the worst of situations is a testament to those civilians, who gave everything they had to battle the evil of the Nazi regime.
The author skillfully portrays emotions and behaviors of children in their historic removal from Europe to safer environs. I was so moved by the children’s reactions to the tragic events that separated them from their parents.
I love the way this story resolves misunderstandings and strengthens relationships. There are lessons for each reader to take away and apply to our own lives.
I recommend this book to everyone who is interested in WWII stories, especially stories about the common people and their silent fight against Hitler’s agenda.
I enjoyed this very interesting book. It is uniquely written with two parallel stories—one contemporary and one historical. The contemporary story is about Brendon and Madeline. They have children, jobs, and aspirations. Can their marriage survive? The historical story is about two Jewish babies left behind, when their parents were arrested by the Germans. How will these twins survive?
There is a wonderful cast of interesting characters in For Maria. Madeline is a bit too driven in her pursuit to find the answer to the mystery of the twins. Brendon is a wonderful hero, made more endearing by his physical limitations.
Rósa Dudeck, the heroine of the twins’ story, is a strong woman driven by love for her children. Her determination and resourcefulness in the worst of situations is a testament to those civilians, who gave everything they had to battle the evil of the Nazi regime.
The author skillfully portrays emotions and behaviors of children in their historic removal from Europe to safer environs. I was so moved by the children’s reactions to the tragic events that separated them from their parents.
I love the way this story resolves misunderstandings and strengthens relationships. There are lessons for each reader to take away and apply to our own lives.
I recommend this book to everyone who is interested in WWII stories, especially stories about the common people and their silent fight against Hitler’s agenda.
May 4, 2014
When Madeline finished Katia's memoir she sets off in search of the relatives that are still missing. She hopes to reunite all of the family members. But trying to juggle her career, family and marriage is taking a bit more than she can handle. What can she give up and what will happen when some of the family members aren't as eager for this reunion as she is?
This second book in the series felt more like an epilogue than an actual book. It seemed to tie up loose ends and focus more on the main character and her marriage than it did on the reunion. I liked the way that the author portrayed the challenges and resolutions in a marriage, but felt the book was lacking something.
This second book in the series felt more like an epilogue than an actual book. It seemed to tie up loose ends and focus more on the main character and her marriage than it did on the reunion. I liked the way that the author portrayed the challenges and resolutions in a marriage, but felt the book was lacking something.
November 3, 2019
For Maria takes on a very complex subject - children survivors of the Holocaust and family member searching for each other. Unfortunately Mr Judisch's novel is very superficial and deals more with religious belief than the very deep emotions associated with this WWII phenomenum.
The sotry was interesting, but I thought with a little more research this could have been a great book, delving into a subjec that few have written about.
The sotry was interesting, but I thought with a little more research this could have been a great book, delving into a subjec that few have written about.
August 22, 2013
Very informative on the escape of Jewish and Non Aryan children from Germany and Poland during WWII. These characters were very likable and you cared about them. The story was one that would bring tears to you eyes. Very good read. It helps to read Katia first.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews