The Ballerina of Auschwitz: A dramatic retelling of The Choice

by Edith Eger

In 1944, sixteen-year-old ballerina Edith was sent to Auschwitz and endured unimaginable experiences. When the camp was finally liberated, she was pulled from a pile of bodies, barely alive.


Celebrated therapist and Holocaust survivor Edith Eger captivated millions with her incredible tale of survival and strength in her best-selling book The Choice.


Now, in The Ballerina of Auschwitz, Edith revisits her wartime experiences in a deeply personal retelling, through the eyes and emotions of her teenage self. Through this reworking of her poignant narrative, Edith brings readers of all ages into the heart of her experiences, offering a compelling message of hope and resilience that will ensure her story is never forgotten.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, History, Holocaust, Biography, Historical, World War II

192 pages, Paperback

Published March 10, 2024

Reviews

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

We can't ever change what's happened to us. We can't alter the past or control what's coming around the next corner. But we can choose how we live now. ~ Dr. Edith Eger (96)

Edith Eger's story was first told in The Choice: Embrace the Possible and published in 2017. This new title is a YA version of Edith's amazing journey to Auschwitz and then a death march that left her in a pile of bodies. When the Americans came to liberate the death camps, they saw her hand raised above the tangle. The US soldier gave her a taste of her first M&Ms to help revive her.

How she got to that point and what happened after make for fascinating reading. She found inspiration in stories from other survivors liked Corrie ten Boom. At the center of the narrative is a moment she has relived over and over. She and her older sister Magda stand in a line at Auschwitz with their mother in between them. As they reach the front of the line and stand before Josef Mengele, Edith is asked a question about her mother: Is this your mother or your sister? Her answer will haunt her for decades.

This is an amazing story from a wise and resilient Holocaust survivor. I want to thank Dr. Eger for her sharing her story. Also thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holocaust survivor Dr. Edith Eger’s memoir is well written, heartbreaking, and yet ultimately hopeful. As a young girl coming of age in Hungary in 1943, the war seemed far away. Life as a young teen was full of anticipation of first love and a comfortable and active life ahead.

However, one night the Nazis arrived, pounding on the door and telling the family to pack for resettlement elsewhere. Thus begins a life of absolute and unimaginable horror and suffering. During this time, she also witnessed moments of kindness and bravery.

Written for young adults, this remarkable memoir of sacrifice, courage, suffering, love, and forgiveness is inspiring.

Edith’s perseverance and determination to honor those who did not survive the camps is reflected in her choice to do her best to make the world a better place. She encourages the reader to strive for a life of meaning and purpose - to show kindness, compassion and love so that future generations can live in a better world.

This outstanding and unforgettable memoir would appeal to adults as well as to older teens.

NOTE: This memoir is the young adult edition of Dr. Eger’s award winning and bestselling book entitled The Choice.

[Schizanthus Nerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I survive today, tomorrow I’ll be free.

I finished reading this book a few days before Edie celebrated her 97th birthday. Revisiting her story at this time, it struck me again how close she came to not surviving to adulthood. If not for a loaf of bread…

After everything she experienced at Auschwitz, Edie could have chosen to retreat from the world, consumed by bitterness and resentment. Instead, she has used her pain to create a life where she offers hope, wisdom and a heart that clearly still dances to others. Her family. Her clients. Her students. A lifetime of connections across the world.

I was first introduced to Edie’s story in 2020. I’ve read The Choice and The Gift, and participated the first time her masterclass, Unlocking Your Potential, was offered. I feel like I know Edie’s story quite well at this point.

This book, adapted from The Choice but with about 30 percent new content, tells Edie’s story without interruption. It explores her life before, during and a short time after Auschwitz from the perspective of the teenager she was at the time.

You’ll be introduced to her first love, witness some of the horrors beyond the gate that bears the words Arbeit macht frei and learn how Edie began to pick up the pieces of her life after she survived against all odds.

I was longing to share with you the tools that helped me survive the unthinkable, longing for you to know that a story of humans' capacity for evil is also a story of our inexorable capacity for hope.

Edie’s story is one I will never forget. No matter how many times I read or hear it, it never loses the impact of the first telling. Her courage, time and time again, when one wrong decision would have resulted in her death, baffles me.

“Just remember, no one can take away from you what you've put in your mind."

Her resilience in the aftermath of experiences that render trauma too small a word inspires me. The choices she has made to turn unimaginable evil into a life that is a beacon of light gives me hope. If Edie can do it, we can too.

We can't ever change what's happened to us. We can't alter the past or control what's coming around the next corner. But we can choose how we live now. We can choose whom and how to love.

Content warnings include death by suicide, domestic violence, grief, mental health, murder, racism, sexual assault, suicidal ideation and torture.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Rider, an imprint of Ebury Press, Penguin Random House UK, for the opportunity to read this book.

Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com

[Nadine Schrott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Als Leiterin unserer schönen Dorfbücherei obliegt mir der Bucheinkauf.....und zugegebenermaßen erstehe ich mit unter Literatur, die in erster ( und machmal auch einziger) Linie mich selbst interessiert 😉....was zu einer großen Auswahl an Exemplaren zum Thema 2. Weltkrieg und Holocaust geführt hat....

Auch dieses Werk wird sich nun im Regal einreihen....und ich werde es wärmstens empfehlen, denn die Autobiographie hat mich zutiefst berührt!

Absolut lesenswert!

[Ilze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vēl nesen es nezināju, kas ir Aušvica, kas ir tas, ko cilvēki bija pārcietuši, kam viņi bija gājuši cauri! Šī man ir pirmā grāmata par Aušvicu, kuru esmu lasījusi. Tas ko Edīte pārdzīvoja, tās bija šausmas! Tās bija ciešanas, pārdzīvojumi un vieta kur lika domāt, ka dzīvei pienācis gals!

[Alyssa DeLeon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly incredible that three sisters could survive such atrocities and find each other. It was amazing learning of all the times Edith should have been killed, but some whim or shrug of a shoulder saved her life. It was also eye-opening reading of all the struggles they had after liberation. People still hated Jews. Soldiers were still brutish. People still died. The end of a war is not the end of suffering.

This brave lady is still alive today and proof that determination and will to live can take you far. I appreciate that she wrote this book. I can’t imagine how hard it was to bring up all the awful details in her memory. May the world never forget, as it is already trying to, what horrors the Holocaust brought about.

[Maureen Reumerman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ik vind het moeilijk om dit boek 2 sterren te geven, omdat ik ontzettend veel respect en bewondering heb voor Edith Eger. Het vergt veel moed om de verschrikkelijke jaren, dagen en uren te moeten herbeleven om dit boek te schrijven. Mijn mening doet niks af van mijn respect voor haar of mijn respect voor dit boek.

Ik vind dit geen goed boek. Ik vind het niet goed geschreven. Ik dacht dat ik gewoon even moest inkomen, maar ik ben er nooit ingekomen. Er zaten een paar mooie quotes in, en Eger is erg eerlijk in het boek, dat waardeer ik. Maar over het algemeen vind ik Eger geen fijn persoon om dit boek uit te lezen. Ik zal eerlijk zeggen waarom: Ik denk dat hetgeen wat me vooral dwars zit het feit is dat ze álles op zichzelf betrok en mensen die zelfmoord pleegden in Auschwitz zag als laf, alsof ze het “opgaven”, alsof je altijd een keuze hebt. Ik vind die denkwijze niet fijn en sta daar niet achter.

Ze begint het boek met dat ze dit schrijft voor mensen om kracht uit te halen, dat mensen uit de slachtofferrol moeten kruipen. Maar vervolgens zit ze zelf (ook voor de oorlog) de hele tijd in de slachtofferrol. Ik heb niet per se kracht uit dit boek gehaald.

[Iuliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

O poveste tulburătoare dar și plină de speranță.
Edith Eger își împărtășește experiența cu o forță emoțională uluitoare, transformând suferința în lecții de iertare și vindecare.
O carte care îți rămâne în inimă mult timp după ce ai citit-o.
Am simțit din plin fiecare emoție - durere, frică, recunoștință, curaj. Mi s-a făcut pielea de găină citind prin ce a trecut.
O lecție impresionantă despre cum să îți câștigi libertatea interioară chiar și după ce ai trecut prin iad, să ierți, atât pe tine cât și pe ceilalți.

[Chantal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diep onder de indruk sla ik het boek dicht. Een heel indrukwekkend verhaal. Ik kon niet stoppen met lezen. ❤️

[Oana Crâmpeie de suflet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Balerina de la Auschwitz este scrisă pe când autoarea avea 96 de ani, la îndemnul nepotului său, dedicată tinerilor, ca un fel de rescriere a Alegerii la o scară mai mică, special pentru cei care nu au trecut încă prin viață. Însă nu știu dacă aș recomanda citirea ei la vârste fragede, pentru că sunt imagini greu de digerat și ca adult, realități atât de dure încât frizează realitatea și capacitatea de înțelegere a oricărui om normal. Este romanul pe care l-am iubit, dar și care m-a enervat teribil. Am avut momente în care am citit pe nerăsuflate, dar și altele când îmi venea să arunc cu ceva după autoare, pentru că mi se pare că, de multe ori, autorii evrei, ca mulți dintre evreii zilelor noastre, joacă prea des și prea mult cartea Holocaustului pentru a justifica orice ar fi făcut ulterior. Poate și în contextul actual al Palestinei de astăzi, nu știu, dar, pe alocuri, îmi venea să dau cu cărticica asta de pereți, cel puțin în prima parte, pentru că, apoi, am fost prea șocată de ceea ce am citit pentru a mai îmi lăsa gândul să se ducă în cu totul alt loc decât în narațiunea și acțiunea din fața mea.
Autoarea spune la început următorul lucru, fapt care aproape m-a făcut să nu vreau să mai continui citirea romanului ei și poate că aș fi greșit, dar nu pot explica mânia pe care am simțit-o citind:
„Nu am fost segregați. Nu am fost ghetoizați, forțați să trăim separat, așa cum se întâmpla cu evreii din multe țări europene (de aceea, familia mea vorbea exclusiv limba maghiară și nu idiș). Ne-am bucurat de numeroase oportunități educaționale, profesionale și culturale. Dar tot ne-am confruntat cu prejudecăți, atât subtile, cât și explicite. Antisemitismul nu a fost o invenție nazistă, a existat cu mult înainte de naziști.”
Partea aceasta mi se pare puțin exagerată, se joacă acea carte a Holocaustului pe care o întâlnești adeseori printre evrei, fapt prin care își justifică multe acțiuni reprobabile de astăzi, însă, inițial, autoarea recunoaște că nu au fost prigoniți în Cehia sau Ungaria, au avut parte de educație, ea însăși practică gimnastică, balet, surorile ei sunt muziciene, au avut oportunități, deci, inițial, nu era vorba de antisemitism, îmi e greu să cred asta după ce mi-ai spus că erai bine și oarecum privilegiată.
Apoi, tot în partea de început, ni se aduce în discuție ideea sionismului și a dorinței de a transforma Palestina în propria casă, fapt pe care evreii sioniști încă îl doresc astăzi, de asta în Palestina este un război perpetuu din 1948 încoace, iar acest lucru m-a înfuriat teribil, recunosc, deși înțeleg ideea din spate, nu cred că nimic nu poate justifica dorința cuiva de a își construi feriricea pe nefericirea altuia, indiferent de culoare sau rasă, niciun fel de Holocaust nu justifică dorința de acaparare, jocul acesta de putere care s-a jucat în timpul celui de al Doilea Război Mondial chiar cu evreii, care, mai apoi, l-au aplicat altora, uitând parcă ceea ce au trăit sau poate pentru că au trăit ceea ce au trăit, așa cum Magda, una dintre surori, își dorea foarte tare să ucidă o mamă germană doar pentru că germanii i-au ucis mama, punând vina asupra tuturor:
„- Palestina, zice Eric. Am putea ajuta la crearea unui loc sigur pentru poporul nostru. O patrie evreiască.
Nu este prima dată când sunt expusă idealurilor sioniste, dar este prima dată când mă gândesc la acestea într-un mod personal Încerc să-mi imaginez viața noastră într-un deșert. Am trăi într-un cort? În munți stâncoși? Familiile noastre ar veni cu noi?”

Dansând în Iad printre barăcile de la Auschwitz
Romanul crește ca intensitate pe măsură ce înaintezi cu romanul, oferindu-ne o perspectivă extrem de dură și șocant de reală asupra a ceea ce omenirea a fost martoră, dar la care a închis ochii vreme de ani buni, continuând să își trăiască viețile mărunte în ciuda faptului că dincolo de niște ziduri evreii trăiau chinuri inimaginabile, pentru care moartea era văzută ca o eliberare, ca o forță eliberatoare de tot ceea ce trăiau, iar autoarea ne oferă imagini explicite cu gardurile libertății, pe care prizonierii se aruncau, pentru a își alege modul de a muri, singura modalitate de a protesta contra asupritorilor.
Balerina de la Auschwitz nu este un roman ușor de digerat. Este extrem de bine scris, dar imaginile sunt atât de vii, încât nu ai cum să nu te înfiori citindu-l. Sunt scene care șochează, care te fac să vrei să lovești cu pumnul în perete, care te dor în mod visceral. Este o carte document pe care, în ciuda revoltei mele inițiale, pe care o consider justificată, o recomand. Este unul dintre cele mai bune volume scrise pe această temă, unul în care autoarea nu s-a temut să spună lucrurilor pe nume și nu s-a jenat să prezinte totul, în ciuda durității scenelor.

[Susanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of Edith Eger who at the age of 16 was sent to Auschwitz along with her mother and sister. Her father had already been taken and another sister had avoided the selection. It’s never easy to read the story of a survivor, however these stories need to be told, and read.

Edith and her sister survive the camps and death march and Edith went on to become an internationally renowned psychologist whose specialty is post-traumatic stress disorder. Somehow, despite every horror she witnessed Edith always held on to a future with hope. She is a true inspiration of possibility, hope and resiliency.

If you have read her first book The Choice you will recognise the story as this book is a condensed version of it. She says she did this to bring her work to a younger audience. It is suitable for everyone and needs to be read by all.

Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I should begin by saying that I did not read Edith’s original memoir. But this one was succinct and powerful. In a time when many Holocaust survivors are sadly dying from old age, these kinds of stories are needed to remind the youth of the past. And while Edith’s story is very difficult to read emotionally, the importance of her story gives you the strength to continue reading.

I think what sets this apart from other stories is that it chronicles her life before, during, and after the war. It gives the reader a complete picture of what the Holocaust destroyed - not in buildings destroyed, but in lives irreparably altered. More importantly, it shows that we always have a choice. Even when it seems like there is no choice. But our minds are our own. And that’s a powerful message for anybody, but maybe especially for teens.

I’ll take true, nonfiction stories of World War II and the Holocaust any day over fictional ones. And at just under 200 pages, the length is great for younger readers.

[Carolyn Scarcella · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book I’m reading is called “The Ballerina of Auschwitz” by Edith Eger. This is young adult for young readers, last year. The choice and the gift she wrote is for adult readers, years ago. This book, which I simply devoured, is all about survival and hope. At 96, she witnesses everything, including the harsh truths of the modern world, including gun violence, cyberbullying, climate change, a worldwide pandemic, and startlingly high rates of anxiety, depression, hopelessness, and suicide. To make sure to ensure that her story will never be forgotten, she wants to share her story with people of all ages, bringing her experiences to life and delivering a powerful message of hope and resilience. Her birthplace was Kassa, Hungary, which is now known as Košice, Czechoslovakia. As a result, did her family survive? You can decide.

[Elina Dlohi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Autores grāmata "Izvēle" ir mana spēka grāmata. Esmu to lasījusi trīs reizes – pirmoreiz angliski vēl pirms latviskā izdevuma, un vēl divas reizes jau tulkojumā. Tā ir grāmata, kuru esmu devusi un ieteikusi daudziem – kā ceļvedi izejai no upura domāšanas, kā atgādinājumu, ka mums vienmēr ir izvēle. Kā pati autore saka: "Es nevaru izmainīt pagātni. Bet varu glābt kādu dzīvi – savējo. To, kuru dzīvoju tieši tagad, šajā dārgajā mirklī."

Šis speciālizdevums jauniešiem ir īpaši vērtīgs, jo stāstu par Edītes pieredzi koncentrācijas nometnē padara pieejamu un saprotamu arī jaunākam lasītājam. Tas ir neticami spēcīgs un iedvesmojošs piemērs, kā cilvēks visgrūtākajos apstākļos spēj atrast cerību, iekšēju spēku un vēlmi dzīvot. Edīte – izsūtīta, ieslodzīta Aušvicā, badā, bailēs un šausmās un gandrīz jau mirusi līķu kaudzē – spēj iedomāties, ka dejo kā balerīna. Viņa izvēlas ne tikai izdzīvot, bet arī dzīvot.

Vienīgais, kas man pietrūka šajā jauniešu izdevumā, bija autores pēckara dzīves posms – satikšanās ar Vīktoru Franklu, viņas ceļš līdz psiholoģijas praksei. Šīs detaļas bija būtiska daļa "Izvēlē", un man šķiet, tās būtu devušas vēl lielāku iedvesmu arī jaunajam lasītājam.

Tomēr – šī ir brīnišķīga grāmata, ko noteikti vajadzētu lasīt gan pašiem, gan dot tālāk jaunatnei. Tā atgādina, ka dzīvē, lai arī kas ar mums notiktu, vienmēr ir iespējama izvēle.
Autorei šobrīd ir 98 gadi.

"Mēs nevaram mainīt to, kas ar mums noticis. Nevaram mainīt pagātni vai iepriekš zināt, kas sagaida aiz nākamā pagrieziena. Bet mēs varam izvēlēties, kā dzīvot tagad. Mēs varam izvēlēties, ko un kā mīlēt"

[andshe.reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read Edith's original memoir, The Choice, but I've since requested to reserve it at my local library. If this beautiful yet harrowing book is anything to go by, I know I'll enjoy it.

When I say 'enjoy it', it leaves me with a pit in my stomach. These aren't the right words to express when reading about Edith's awful experience.
I appreciated her sharing with us her life before during and after the war. Which is something that actually sets her memoir apart from others. We got a full picture of the true devastation, not just physically but mentally.

The message given to us through Edith's words is that we always have a choice and what a valuable memo to be reminded of. Edith's strength, resilience, and determination speak volumes, and it left me feeling positive despite the horrors she experienced.

I highly recommend everyone read this book, not just the younger audience.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC.

[quinnlyn]

*no rating bc it’s somebody’s real life experiences*
darn i thought this would have more to do with dancing… very compelling story though.
i do have to disagree with the age rating of 12+; some content i wouldn’t say is quite appropriate for a 12 year old. (obviously this book has a very heavy subject but it should probably have a higher age rating.)

[Cadee · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I loved this book. I was so good. But, there were a few sad parts. I think you will enjoy this book!" -Cadee, age 12

[Danica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly devastating, surprisingly hopeful.

[Micaela Umbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una autobiografía profundamente conmovedora y poderosa que narra la historia real de la autora, que fue prisionera en Auschwitz durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Nos comparte su increíble historia de supervivencia, descubrimiento personal y sanación. Nos llena de esperanza y nos invita a reflexionar sobre la resiliencia del espíritu humano y la maravillosa capacidad de florecer en la adversidad.
Un testimonio de vida que realmente nos inspira y nos narra su increíble camino a la libertad interior a través del perdón.

[Aina Segalés · Rating 5 out of 5]

Història impactant de l'Edith Eger, supervivent de l'Holocaust, escrita als seus 96 anys: "It is terrible to lose, to have lost, all the known things: mother, father, sister, boyfriend, country, home. Why do I have to lose the things I don't know too? Why do I have to lose the future? My potential? The children I never mother? The wedding dress my father will never make?"

[Paola Mancebo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me encantó la historia de Edith Eger y su mensaje de resiliencia. Esta edición Young Adult es muy ligera y se lee rápido, pero me dejó con ganas de más detalles y profundidad. Aun así, es una lectura conmovedora y esperanzadora. ¡Ahora voy directo a The Choice!

[Kimmy C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read but hard to digest, this novel deals, in heartbreaking honesty, with the life story of Edith, youngest child (and disappointingly, a third daughter where a son was wanted), as she grows up under the shadow of her two elder sisters, both more beautiful and talented than she is. Then the shadow of war falls on the family, and the family is sent to Auschwitz, when Edith is 16. From there, she details her struggle to survive, her guilt at not being able to save her mother, and her brushes with death. I’ll tag the spoiler alert on this review, but the fact that she’s written this novel means she survived. However the detail in man’s inhumanity to man is laid bare here, in history we’re well aware of (and seemingly determined to repeat). Edith is a bigger person here, personally after the war I would make it my life calling to hunt down the men who just melted back into their lives as bankers, tailors, bakers, and suchlike after committing atrocities in the name of the war.
One phrase, which I marked in the book, is thus: This is how we survive; this is how we dance in hell: we use the gift of our minds.
This is a huge testament to the strength of the human spirit, and the love of one’s family.

[Pili Seivane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Increíble historia real de superación, un forte abrazo Edith!!!!❤️

[.N.C.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

la capacidad de los seres humanos para hacer el mal es también la historia de nuestra inexorable capacidad para la esperanza.




Puede que la vida sea eso, un vacilar constante entre las cosas que no tenemos pero querríamos tener y las cosas que tenemos y querríamos no tener.




Tengo miedo, pero el miedo es más personal. Tiene más que ver con la sensación de que he hecho algo mal. La propia guerra parece muy alejada de nosotros. Si no prestamos atención, parece que podamos seguir con nuestra vida sin que nos afecte. En nuestra mente podemos hacer que el mundo sea seguro. Podemos hacernos invisibles al daño.




Los tiempos están cambiando y nosotros cambiamos con los tiempos. Tal vez está hablando de la guerra sin hablar de la guerra. O tal vez se refiere a esta etapa de la vida. El tiempo pasa y nos transforma. Estar vivo es cambiar.




—Tus ojos son preciosos —le digo a mi hermana.
Nunca me había fijado cuando estaban tapados por todo ese pelo. Es la primera vez que me doy cuenta de que podemos elegir entre prestar atención a lo que hemos perdido o prestar atención a lo que aún tenemos.




Podemos elegir qué aprender del horror. Nosotras decidimos cuánto sufrimiento podemos soportar. Hay muchas formas de morir en Auschwitz. De un disparo. De hambre. De enfermedad. Gaseadas. Torturadas. Esas formas las eligen los nazis. Sin embargo, las prisioneras también eligen cuándo están hartas de una vida que no es vida.




«No puedo creer en un Dios que permite que pase esto», dicen. Las entiendo. Sin embargo, a mí nunca me ha costado entender que no es Dios el que nos está matando en las cámaras de gas, en las cunetas, en el precipicio, en los 186 peldaños blancos. Dios no dirige los campos de exterminio. Son los hombres quienes lo hacen.




Aquí, en el cementerio más grande del mundo, no hay ni una sola tumba.



Nunca podremos cambiar lo que nos ha sucedido. No podemos modificar el pasado ni controlar lo que hay a la vuelta de la esquina. Pero podemos decidir cómo vivir ahora.
Podemos decidir a quién y cómo amar. Podemos decidir —siempre podemos decidir— ser libres.

[Hazel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to have read Edith's original memoir, The Choice, which was extraordinary; this is no different and whilst, I think, it has been written for young adults in mind, I feel it can and should be read by all ages.

This sets out Edith's teenage life before, during and after the war ... her hopes and dreams that were dashed by the horrors inflicted but the power of the mind which, regardless of what is done to you, remains your own and something which you retain control over when you may have lost control of everything else.

I can't even begin to fathom how someone, who has experienced what Edith and countless others went through and witnessed, can come out the other side even close to being able to function back into society and then have the bravery and strength to re-live it by talking and writing about it in the hope that the atrocities committed are never repeated or forgotten? In my view, that takes a special type of person.

Memoirs like these are harrowing and disturbing to read BUT they are also stories of hope, strength, love; they are essential and a lot of lessons can and must be learned from them and I thank Edith, Ebury Publishing, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this important and must-read book for all ages.

[em]

I cried reading this, what a beautiful and heartbreaking book. Having read Eger’s other works, I knew her story and the horrors she suffered. However, she managed to spin it in a new light and add another layer of hope and pain to her experiences. Stories like this are so incredibly important and I applaud her for being brave enough to tell this story again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #TheBallerinaOfAuschwitz #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Papergirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly, tremendous thanks to Edith Eger, Ebury Publishing, Penguin Random House, and Netgalley for the ARC I received. Secondly, another thank you to Edith for telling and retelling her tale. As harrowing as it is, it spares much of the gory details whilst still conveying the nightmare endured by too many people, too many Jewish people, at the hands of fellow humans.

The Ballerina of Auschwitz is a fairly gentle recollection of past happiness pre-war, first love, captivity and enslavement, and the life of a survivor. I say this in the loosest sense because although the descriptions of the horrors endured are not overly graphic compared to historical non-fiction, and fictionalized accounts of time spent in German designed death camps. On the one hand, one could argue that the book doesn’t quite convey the depth of the trauma suffered because it doesn’t dwell on lengthy descriptions. On the other hand, the book satisfies its attempts to take a slice of history and retrospectively examine events as if they were unfolding for the first time.

Edith Eger had everything to live for. Blessed with a talented family, she had a well-sought-after tailor for a father, a violinist for a sister, and a beautiful middle sister who flirted her way through life. Eger, herself, was a wonderful ballerina tipped to represent her country for the Olympics, until the inevitable struck and her family were called up for the camps. Leaving behind her first love with home she had dreams of settling, and raising a family, with in Palestine, she finds herself on a journey that covers the eighteen months pre-liberation. Sharing her thoughts and memories of the time, we are able to glimpse, but never truly understand, what it was like for Jewish people living during Hitler’s regime.

It must take a lot of strength and courage to live through a nightmare, not just once, but through several retellings of events that should never have befallen another person. The Ballerina of Auschwitz sees Eger speak directly to the reader. Reading, I felt we were having a one-sided conversation where she opened up to me about the hardest time of her life. I felt trusted with her story that was not enough to burden me with grief because although she was unable to protect her mother, she sought to protect me, and any other reader in this version of her experience.

The story was raw, honest, and heartbreaking in so many ways, and yet, it was inspirational to feel the love and forgiveness that Eger is able to project despite the life she has led. Although the book is written decades on from her experience, there is an Anne Frankness about Eger’s writing. Whilst it is not a journal, it is clear that even if some memories are repressed, for the most part, Eger is able to summon certain points in time to mind as clearly as if it was yesterday. It is these memories that haunt and inspire me to be better, be stronger, be more transparent, more forgiving, and less judgmental.

Without giving too much away, you should read this book if you enjoy memoirs, Second World War History, and sentiment over sensationalism. Obviously, there are trigger warnings for people of Jewish descent, particularly if you have lost ancestors, or are survivors of this time, if you are German, especially if you come from certain lineages, and generally anyone who is hugely empathetic and affected by stories of human indecency. However, this retelling leaves a lot to read between the lines making it suitable for younger adults who are looking for a realistic account that goes beyond the mechanics of war. I was particularly moved by Eger’s capacity to fall in love, and the marked difference to how people dealt with moving on. Throughout the novella, I felt entirely engaged by a teenage Edith and satisfied in knowing that she was, indeed, a survivor, not a victim. I can’t speak for the earlier work this is based on, but in its own right, The Ballerina of Auschwitz is a 5/5 book and a reminder of times we should be seeking to not repeat when we see the damage that echoes of the holocaust still present.

[Lisa Mandina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a pretty quick read, definitely one for YA, maybe a little younger than high school in the difficulty of reading, but still the topic or the age of the characters at the time and things they thought about could be considered more high school. But it you really read Anne Frank’s diary, you know she was definitely the age and thinking about things sometimes we think middle school age shouldn’t be reading, even if they are all thinking and wondering about some of that anyway at that age.

But I digress from my review. World War II and the holocaust especially is something that when I actually spend time reading about or thinking about, it’s just so hard to imagine the enormity of what happened. Yeah, I’ve seen the pictures, and I’ve been the holocaust museum in DC. But every single time I read or hear about the experience from an actual survivor it just completely messes up my brain trying to even imagine what it could be like. Some of the things the author talks about, how in the camp they were able to ignore or learned to not be in so much pain from things like that, and then once they had been liberated immediately those pains and hunger came back. Thinking of how the body adjusts to things in even that type of situation, the hunger that I can’t imagine. Being able to have hope in the concentration camp and even while on the march or while they were forced to ride on top of a train car to protect weapons. Yet when they were finally free it was hard to hold onto that hope thinking about things they’d lost.

It’s hard to write a review of a memoir like this. Just know that it is one worth reading if you want the basic story. I feel like I would probably want to read the full adult memoir called The Choice at some point. If you’ve read the adult memoir, I’d love to hear your thoughts as well.

Review first published at Lisa Loves Literature.

[Marty ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Siento que, al ser una historia tan personal, la de Editke y todo lo que tuvo que vivir para sobrevivir en un lugar como Auschwitz, no puedo calificarla con una cantidad de estrellas. Es mucho más que un libro: es una historia real que deja una marca, que te hace pensar y entender muchas cosas sobre la vida, el dolor y la esperanza. Me cuesta ponerle un número a algo que se siente tan profundo.
Pero, aun así, si tuviera que hacerlo, para mí sería un 5 estrellas. Por todo lo que me hizo sentir, por todo lo que me hizo reflexionar y por todo lo que me ayudó a conocer sobre su historia como sobreviviente del Holocausto. Y también por cómo, a pesar de todo lo que vivió, logró salir adelante, estudiar psicología y dedicar su vida a ayudar a los demás, compartiendo su experiencia y enseñando.

-"Algunas chicas tienen las piernas congeladas, completamente congeladas, y se desploman como árboles talados. Agotamiento. Congelación. Fiebre. Hambre. Si los guardas no aprietan el gatillo, el cuerpo lo hace."

-"Ahora la víspera de mi regreso a la cárcel, me recuerdo a mí misma que cada uno a nosotros tenemos un Adolf Hitler y una Corrie ten Boom en nuestro interior. Tenemos la capacidad de odiar y la capacidad de amar. Escoger una u otra, nuestro Hitler interior o nuestra ten Boom interior, depende de nosotros."

[Emilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was incredibly impactful and definitely one of the best most well written books I’ve ever read. The experiences that Edith went through are indescribable and things that many never experience in a lifetime.
From being a normal girl that loved gymnastics and dance to being torn away from her home, Edith manages to stick with her sister Magda until the end! They were surviving and staying alive for each other while being tortured day after day.
The craziest part is how close Edith was to death when the camps were liberated, she didn’t have much longer. She felt guilty for so long that there were things she should have done differently but I love how she ultimately realized she can’t change the past, but she could choose how she presently lived.
There were many sad deaths and moments that made your heart break, but it’s important to read these kinds of books to always remember what happened and never forget the people who braved and suffered through the holocaust.
She’s so inspiring and courageous. She never lost hope even when times were hard! There’s so good messages I got out of this book and I’m so glad I picked it up💕