Maria was eight months old in 1942 when a childless couple found her, wrapped in a blanket, at the side of a road near Krosno, Poland. A note pinned to the blanket stated only her first name and her date of birth. The couple picked up Maria and raised her, but she grew up longing for identity and connection. Who was she, and what had happened to her family?
Years later, Maria’s story came to the attention of Stanley Diamond. Diamond was the founder of Jewish Records Indexing-Poland, one of the largest databases of Jewish vital records and a crucial tool in researching the stories of the victims and survivors of the Holocaust.
In this engrossing story, Amy Fish shows how Diamond and an intrepid band of international volunteers compared photographs with genealogical records and smuggled DNA tests to provide Maria with family ties that she thought were lost to her forever. A tale of unexpected coincidences, astonishing revelations, and more than a little luck, One in Six Million is an amazing story of lost — and found — identity.
One in Six Million: The Baby by the Roadside and the Man who retraced a Holocaust Survivor's Lost Identity. The title seems to tell it all, and yet there is so much more to this story. This is a story that is readable and accessible, a story worth reading.
A good portion of the first half of the book is Stanley Diamond's (the genealogist) own journey. Mundane and random life events come together to paint a portrait of Stanley, a man who was compelled to search for Maria's birth family. Perseverance and luck= Stanley Diamond.
Immensely personal but told in a relatable way, many individual stories come together to tell one much larger story. How all these events, some of them coincidences, join together: Amy Fish's present day personal life, Stanley Diamond with his interest in genealogy, and Maria with her yearning to learn from where she originated. What a great legacy this book is, this collection of history from multiple families, the joy meshed with the tragic, strangers joined by events out of their control.
What I thought was a book about the baby found by the side of the road was actually a story of how people are connected through blood, experiences, and happenstance. I loved the storytelling, there was a light touch to the more horrific events, and ultimately this was a riveting and important story.
As for Stanley Diamond, responsible for the creation of JRI-Poland, an archive of information accumulated by volunteers and archivists, it is incredible what one man set into motion, life changing for many people. And Uncle Avi and Aunt Dora, what absolute gems.
This book is aptly named: it’s one story that inspires a million other untold stories. It’s a treasure of little sub stories of love, humanity and courage. And, it’s a reminder of tenacity and courage in the darkest of times.
It’s a story of hope that we all need right now.
This book is also an important testament to truth in a time of misinformation. Rumour is that Fish spoke to her main source, Stanley Diamond, over 100 times. In an age when we’re surrounded by misinformation and lies, it is so refreshing to read words and stories that were painstakingly recorded and verified. But more than that, since the story is sprinkled with the author’s own story, opinions and reflections, you feel the care and love in her words.
It’s an uplifting story of determination and love that is a must read for any who believes in hope. It’s a page turner that I will return to again and again.
An interesting book about the creation of the first Jewish index of births, marriages, and deaths, which was created in Poland. Today, other indexes exist. This was a great read, as it feels like a victory over the Nazis and the neo-Nazis. They may have perpetrated the unimaginable horror of the Holocaust, but in the end, the survivors and their families persevered and thrived.
The reason I didn't rate the book higher was, quite frankly, the unfortunate writing style of the author. A non-fiction book certainly is very different to write than a fictitious story. It takes turns and twists and deviations you can't control, but need to be faithfully told. But I don't believe non-fiction cannot be written with feeling and emotions. However, I found this story rather sterile and linear. A no doubt faithful rendition of events, but one without any spirit. It was rather an odd situation, because the author shared personal accounts of growing up Jewish in Montreal and family stories. And she would try to explain reactions and feelings, but they were done in an uncreative and stereotypical way. So they really didn't convey what felt like true feelings.
So while I enjoyed the book and reveled in the successes of families to reunite and commemorate their lost loved ones, I didn't really connect with the story as fully as I felt I could have.
ONE in Six Million by Amy Fish At the heart of this memoir is the story of an infant left by the roadside during the second World War and the childless couple who found her and raised her as their own, despite the assumption that she is Jewish. Maria grew up wanting to learn more about her missing parents. Later in life, with the help of a friend, she began her search. Far away, in Canada, a man named Stanley Diamond had been labouring on a genealogy project that would eventually connect Maria to her family. Stanley was a self-taught genealogist motivated by a family history of anemia. As his work progressed, Stanley realized the database could also be utilized to assist Jews searching for family members who had disappeared during the Holocaust. Carefully researched and documented, this book will fascinate those interested in Jewish studies, genealogical tracing and DNA testing.
A suspenseful, surprising story about a woman's search for her identity, and the extraordinary people who volunteered to help her. Much of the story takes place during one of humanity's darkest periods, the Holocaust, yet this book brims with delight, wit, and warmth.
Poland, Summer, 1942. The Germans have invaded Poland and on this day, the Nazis have ordered all of the town of Krosno’s Jews to relocate to the ghetto. Somewhere outside Krosno, the story begins thus: “On a warm August day a husband and wife walked along a road on the outskirts of a town in Poland…he was Ukrainian and she was from a Polish town hundreds of kilometres away.” Their names were Antonina and Vasili Markovitch. They were not Jews. They were simply trying to survive, and avoid drawing the unwanted attention of the Nazis who controlled the town. “Then one of them heard a whimper that would change their lives forever…the soft cry was coming from a tightly wrapped bundle nestled in a rut by the side of the road. It took a moment for them to realize that tucked into that wool blanket was a real, live baby. Although they had been married for many years, they had no children of their own.” “Antonina knew that the baby must be Jewish. She had seen the Jews around her rounded up by Nazi soldiers. She knew that leaving the baby must have been an act of desperation. She also knew that, as a childless woman of close to forty, she had no choice. After years of wishing and hoping and praying, this was her chance to become a mother. She clasped the baby to her chest and started walking. A hand-written note was pinned to the baby’s blanket. ‘Maria’ it read, ’25 November, 1941’” From this dramatic opening author Amy Fish, the author of two previous books—“I Wanted Fries With That: How to Ask for What You Want and Get What You Need, and The Art of Complaining Effectively”-- skillfully takes us to the present day and a key figure in the story, her second cousin once-removed, Stanley Diamond. Stanley was a Harvard-educated businessman and successful entrepreneur, living in Montreal. Outside his business interests, Stanley found a passion for genetics and geneology. A passion that would lead his world to unexpectedly meet Maria’s in a multi-year research journey they and many others would share-in, searching for Maria’s birth parents and her origin. One in Six Million is subtitled: “The Baby by the Roadside and the Man Who Retraced a Holocaust Survivor’s Lost Identity”. Stanley Diamond is that man.
Stanley began his geneology/genetics research in earnest, in 1991. As he says in the Foreword to the book “ …I decided to trace the genetic beta thalassemia (BT) trait in my family. I wanted to warn family members, both ones I knew and those I have yet to find, that if they suffered from mild chronic anemia, they might unknowingly carry a genetic trait that could have serious consequences for their descendants.” The gene for beta thalassemia is recessive, meaning that both the mother and father must have this gene for a child to inherit and exhibit this trait. BT is the most prevalent genetic disease in the world. A simple genetic test can detect the gene for this, and thereby prevent recessive carriers from giving birth to children who will have the BT trait. He went on to expand his passion to Jewish geneology. He became interested in reconnecting people who had lost track of family members during the Holocaust to their ‘lost’ surviving family, should they be alive. Maria was now living in Siberia. With the help of a friend she posted to a Jewish geneology website that she was looking for assistance in locating information about her birth parents in Poland, and shared what little information she had. The post was shared on the Jewish genealogical website JewishGen where it was spotted by a Jewish genealogical researcher in Manhattan, who in turn shared it with her colleague, Stanley Diamond. Stanley picked-up the challenge and ran with it, putting incredible time and energy into researching Maria’s history, in a valiant effort to connect her to her past.
Author Fish uses a Yiddish word, ‘Bashert’, meaning ‘destiny’ or ‘meant to be’, to accurately describe many of the happenchance, positive circumstances that occur on Stanley and Maria’s journey. I would add the word ‘Serendipitous’ to this description. Fish takes us on a roller coaster of a ride, from WW II-era Polish history and the Holocaust through the study of geneology, genetics and their role in who we are, to the detective work involved in the painstaking research needed to uncover Maria’s past from scant details that are nearly eighty years old and a continent away. The author has done considerable research to bring Maria’s story to us, that’s clearly evident early-on in the book. I found myself engrossed in this story, wanting to get to the next chapter to see if a potential relative undergoing a genetic test would yield a DNA sample corresponding to Maria’s. This book has the elements of a mystery novel and a ‘Whodunit?’, with the benefit of being nonfiction.
The main characters of the story are of Jewish origin as are the majority of the lesser characters, and that will surely resonate with Jewish readers. Having said that, the topics this book covers—geneology, history, genetics, research—are of interest to a much wider audience as well. Fish is generous in sharing her knowledge and experience of Jewish culture and traditions with us, so any aspects of the story that connect to this culture she clearly explains the significance-of to the reader.
There are certainly aspects of the story that are very dark, the primary example being the author’s grim description of what took place at the Belzec extermination camp. But the story has many lighter moments as well. Fish intertwines the manuscript with stories of her own Jewish upbringing in Montreal, and I found myself chuckling at these often comical personal experiences she relates.
What I would have found helpful, but not imperative, in reading this story would have been an ancestry tree, showing the many people Maria was found to be related-to. By the end of the book I found myself starting to lose track of these relationships and I would go back in the story to see how the person being discussed was related to Maria. The book’s size doesn’t lend itself well to the printing of what would be a large ancestry tree, but perhaps a QR code in the book could take the reader to an online site where such a tree could be displayed. That would be on my ‘Wish List’.
If you’re looking for an answer to the question: Who is the one in six million?, you won’t find it here—or in the book. In a section titled “Book Club Discussion Guide”, Fish leaves us hanging with the question: “Who is the One in Six Million? Is it Maria, who could have been one of the six million killed by the Nazis? Is it any of the babies who ultimately perished? Or is it anyone during the Holocaust who did not make it?”
If you enjoy an entertaining, informative, moving, well-written and true story, then One In Six Million should be on your “Must Read” list for 2026.
I had high expectations for this book. The author, Amy, and I were in the same writing program, so for two years I heard her talk about it and some of the challenges she faced. It’s an amazing story — a baby found abandoned at the side of the road in Poland during WW II and her search to find her identity. We have a cast of vibrant characters, the genealogist who takes on the challenge, the researchers and academics in several countries who assist in solving the mystery. Amy understood the responsibility she had taken on. She wanted to tell this story well, with honesty and respect for everyone involved, but she also wanted to create a page turner, so as many people as possible would read this book. She did it!
This book is remarkable in so many ways. It builds tension and creates a story arc that draws you in and keeps you reading through several dead ends. She makes the genealogist, Stanley, a person you are rooting for, along with Maria, the mystery baby.
Along the way you learn a lot about the Jewish faith, the holocaust, DNA ancestry sites and the postwar diaspora. Finally, while this is a heartbreaking story at times, there is joy and even laugh out loud moments. Amy allows herself to be part of the story. It’s not over the top. It’s much like Amy herself, smart,snappy and, at times, self deprecating.
I will admit I had a moment of envy at how well Amy delivered this amazing story. I got over it because I know how much she invested in getting it right. Read this book it will exceed all expectations.
A Profound and Unforgettable Journey into Identity, History, and Hope
Amy Fish’s One in Six Million is a masterclass in narrative nonfiction heartbreaking in its historical weight, yet profoundly uplifting in its resolution. At its core, this is more than a biography; it's a testament to resilience, the quiet power of human connection, and the remarkable dedication of those who refuse to let stories be lost to time.
Fish delicately reconstructs the life of Maria, a Holocaust survivor discovered as a baby near Krosno, Poland, and abandoned with only a note and a name. What unfolds is an emotional tapestry, expertly interwoven with genealogical research, historical insight, and personal testimony. The involvement of Stanley Diamond and the global effort to uncover Maria’s origins adds a layer of intrigue and investigative depth that will appeal to fans of both historical nonfiction and psychological storytelling.
The prose is elegant and restrained, letting the facts breathe while guiding readers through complex emotional terrain. Fish honors every voice in this story with grace and clarity, making it accessible yet deeply resonant.
One in Six Million is a rare and necessary work one that not only reclaims a lost identity but reminds us that even in the face of unimaginable loss, truth and belonging can still be found.
Highly recommended for readers of historical nonfiction, genealogy, psychology, and anyone moved by stories of survival and discovery.
I don't know how the author managed to compile and synthesize what is a very complicated genealogical wild goose chase into such an approachable and engaging story. But here we are.
Fish blends history, science, biography, and religion into a heartwarming and gripping story of a global community coming together for the seemingly impossible task of digging up one women's family tree.
Infused with just the right amount of irreverence and humor, this would have been a one-sitting read if it was available as an e-book (or I had remembered to bring the hard copy with me when I left the house lol).
This is an astonishing story of a geologist's inspiring devotion to help one woman uncover her true identity seventy years after she was abandoned as a baby. For anyone who needs a reminder of the goodness that still exists in the world, this book more than delivers. I learned so much from Maria and Stanley's stories, and I'm grateful to author Amy Fish for sharing them with the world. It left me hopeful, which is no small thing.
Surprising story about the origins of JRI-Poland, which I've used to locate info about family members. That was an unexpected by-product of a book about trying to trace the parentage of a baby left by the roadside in Poland during the war near Krosno and raised by the couple who found her. There were quite a few threads about various people doing geneological (and ultimately DNA) research, with some connections discovered among the people, including the author, in this nonfiction narrative.
An amazing story and fascinating education about initiatives to trace family members, lost or lost track of due to the Holocaust. Reads like a detective novel—but true. Thanks to Amy Fish and her main source the late Stanley Diamond, this story of the one in six million comes to light, reminding us of the importance of family.
I haven’t read a book this good in a long time. It was suspenseful and kept me wanting to read more. The story is unbelievable and worth reading. I highly recommend!
This is such a fascinating story with so many serendipitous moments. It’s amazing how it all came together, and Maria discovered her history. Great book!
The author inserts herself into a story that has nothing to do with her making this unreadable in my opinion. I couldn't persevere long enough to find out the DNA connection.