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Together: A Journey for Survival
The only way they would survive, was if they stayed … TOGETHER Sala Schonwetter lived the perfect life. Married to the man of her dreams, mother to two beautiful children, and a member of one of the most respected families in town; she had it all. The year was 1939, and the world was about to change. In a heartbreaking instant, she had to trade her life of security, family, and simple pleasures--for one of unspeakable loneliness, hardship, and danger. Nothing more than hunted prey, she relied on her inner strength and indomitable will to keep her children alive. But would it be enough? How far would she have to go, and did she have the resolve to get there? One thing she knew for sure ...she and her children would live or die one way …. TOGETHER. Manek was six years old when his world began to collapse. At first, his young eyes failed to see it, but reality came quickly into focus, when his loving gentle mother was forced to beat him in order to save his life. That is when he realized the Nazis wanted to kill him. Suddenly thrust into a new role as man of the house, would he be able to help keep his family safe? Was he strong enough to protect them? He knew only one thing ... they would survive if they could stay …TOGETHER. In A Journey for Survival, Ann Arnold shares her family's journey through Poland's countryside as a war of nations thunders around them. The story displays the magnificent strength of a mother's love and the incredible courage of good people during the worst of times. "An important work. Ann Arnold's effort to both tell their tale of her family's survival during the Holocaust while being a part of encouraging the next generation to embrace tolerance is inspiring." -Michael Cohen, The Simon Wiesenthal Center "A fascinating story that takes a reader inside an already wounded family toiling through horrific difficulty in the pursuit of life itself. .. it forces readers to ask themselves if they could endure a struggle or whether they might support another person in a life or death battle. This angle makes the book valuable for teachers to use and beneficial for students to read at the high school level.” -Lawrence M. Glaser, N.J. Commission on Holocaust Education “Incredible Story” –Northern Valley Press "Arnold’s perspective is colored not only by those non-Jews who saved her father’s family but also by her experience visiting Brzostek as an adult." –New Jersey Jewish News
190 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 2, 2016
233 people are currently reading
542 people want to read
About the author
Ann Arnold
1 book4 followersI never intended on being a writer. I realize how controversial that statement is, but it's true. The only footsteps I ever wanted to follow was my father, Mark Schonwetter’s, right into the jewelry business. Writing seemed far beyond my scope of experience, though I have always loved to read, and my secret desire was to do just this. We have entered the time period where the true witnesses and victims of the Holocaust are dying, so we, as a society, are losing a vital source of truth. My family's experience during the war, the fortitude of my grandmother Sala and the strength of my father, is a treasured legacy. I was blessed to be given this legacy, and learn its lessons throughout my formative years. Now I want to share it with the world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
May 21, 2016
It's hard so say you enjoyed a book that covered the holocaust which was a horrific event but, ANNE did an incredible job in writing this story and capturing the journey her grandmother, father and aunt had to endure. I found it was heartbreaking what her family went through and was truly happy to know of their survival. Sharing their Story was brave and courageous. For those who like read this genre, this book is a must. It will leave you with an appreciation for love, life and the desperate measures one takes to survive.
May 5, 2016
I know this story is about a family during the Holocaust. While reading it, honestly ... it felt like so much more than that. The relationship between the Mom and son was so ... real. It just humped off the page. You want to have that same bond with your own son. I loved it, and thought the author was really brave to get this down on the page now while her aunt and father could take part in it. Well done!
May 5, 2016
Together: a journey for survival shows how bright the human spirit can shine, even in the darkest times. Sala Schonwetter is the fiercest, bravest, most wily Mommy you've ever read about ... and her relationship with her son, Manek, makes your heart swell. You feel like you're talking to these people, or sitting at their table while you learn their story. A truly heart felt, warming, exciting tale of humanity, both how great and terrible people can be.
June 13, 2020
I applaud the author for sharing her father's tragic yet hopeful memoir. Sala was truly an amazing woman! Marek's memoir was often difficult to read with its descriptions of atrocities, hardship and starvation the Polish Jewish family had to endure. I am so relieved that some family members survived and were able to tell their stories. This is the type of story which must never be forgotten or repeated.
August 20, 2024
It took me a few attempts to get started on this book, which was gifted to me. It is clear at the very beginning that this book was not written by a professional writer. That's fine; it's a holocaust memoir, so I'm not going to get snobby about it. But I did have to make sure I was in the right mindset to read this for what is was: an incredible true story, lovingly told by the daughter/granddaughter of the main characters. Once I got into it and made sure I was reading from the right place mentally, I was still occasionally pulled out of the story by poor writing. But only occasionally, when it affected my understanding of what was going on (like references to characters I did not recognize.)
But for the most part, this story is so compelling that I got pulled in right past the writing and straight into the narrative. That's how I find myself giving 4 stars to a book for which I started my review with an entire paragraph complaining about the writing. That's how interesting the story is, when told with such heart. The author's love and admiration really shines out of the pages. The hero, the author's grandmother, was one serious badass, and it would be impossible to read this without being in awe. She carried her children through so many insane situations, using her mind and grit to survive. This was also a pretty unique story as far as holocaust memoirs go, because it followed neither concentration camp victims, not military members. Instead, after a brief sting in a ghetto, we're following a family wandering the woods and countryside to avoid detection. In this way it most reminded me of Latvian memoirs I've read from forrest sisters, and Siberia survivors. But I'm most reminded of a memoir called Sailing to Freedom, which is the true story of Estonians who escaped across the Atlantic Ocean in a tiny sailboat. The similarity is in the ingenuity and grit of the folks leading the quest to escape. There are some truly incredible people out there, who can pull off some truly incredible feats when their backs are up against the wall. That's good stuff.
But for the most part, this story is so compelling that I got pulled in right past the writing and straight into the narrative. That's how I find myself giving 4 stars to a book for which I started my review with an entire paragraph complaining about the writing. That's how interesting the story is, when told with such heart. The author's love and admiration really shines out of the pages. The hero, the author's grandmother, was one serious badass, and it would be impossible to read this without being in awe. She carried her children through so many insane situations, using her mind and grit to survive. This was also a pretty unique story as far as holocaust memoirs go, because it followed neither concentration camp victims, not military members. Instead, after a brief sting in a ghetto, we're following a family wandering the woods and countryside to avoid detection. In this way it most reminded me of Latvian memoirs I've read from forrest sisters, and Siberia survivors. But I'm most reminded of a memoir called Sailing to Freedom, which is the true story of Estonians who escaped across the Atlantic Ocean in a tiny sailboat. The similarity is in the ingenuity and grit of the folks leading the quest to escape. There are some truly incredible people out there, who can pull off some truly incredible feats when their backs are up against the wall. That's good stuff.
January 13, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Together: A Journey for Survival is a powerful, moving, and deeply human story that stays with you long after you turn the final page.
From the very beginning, the book pulls you into a journey that is as emotional as it is inspiring, reminding the reader of the strength found in connection, resilience, and hope in the face of overwhelming odds.
The storytelling is vivid and heartfelt, balancing moments of tension and struggle with grace and compassion. Ann Arnold does an exceptional job of bringing the characters and experiences to life (this is her fathers story), making you feel as though you are walking beside them every step of the way. Themes of survival, unity, and perseverance are woven seamlessly throughout, offering not just a story, but a meaningful reflection on what it truly means to endure—and to do so together.
This book is both thought-provoking and uplifting, leaving the reader with a renewed appreciation for the power of solidarity and the human spirit.
Together: A Journey for Survival is a must-read for anyone who enjoys emotionally rich narratives and stories that inspire courage, empathy, and connection.
Highly recommended.
Together: A Journey for Survival is a powerful, moving, and deeply human story that stays with you long after you turn the final page.
From the very beginning, the book pulls you into a journey that is as emotional as it is inspiring, reminding the reader of the strength found in connection, resilience, and hope in the face of overwhelming odds.
The storytelling is vivid and heartfelt, balancing moments of tension and struggle with grace and compassion. Ann Arnold does an exceptional job of bringing the characters and experiences to life (this is her fathers story), making you feel as though you are walking beside them every step of the way. Themes of survival, unity, and perseverance are woven seamlessly throughout, offering not just a story, but a meaningful reflection on what it truly means to endure—and to do so together.
This book is both thought-provoking and uplifting, leaving the reader with a renewed appreciation for the power of solidarity and the human spirit.
Together: A Journey for Survival is a must-read for anyone who enjoys emotionally rich narratives and stories that inspire courage, empathy, and connection.
Highly recommended.
October 21, 2025
This memoir tells the powerful true story of Sala Schonwetter, a Polish Jewish wife and mother whose life was torn apart when her family was forced from their home during the Holocaust. With her two small children, she spent years hiding in the Polish forests, constantly on the run from the Germans and the SS. Amid unthinkable hardship, she encountered moments of kindness and humanity from those brave enough to help.
Memoirs like this are difficult to review because it’s impossible to “rate” someone’s lived trauma but Sala’s courage and resilience is amazing. The writing honors her story with sensitivity and strength, reminding readers of both the darkness of that time and the light that can survive even in the bleakest moments.
It’s a heartbreaking yet inspiring read that offers another deeply personal perspective on survival, motherhood, and faith during the Holocaust.
Memoirs like this are difficult to review because it’s impossible to “rate” someone’s lived trauma but Sala’s courage and resilience is amazing. The writing honors her story with sensitivity and strength, reminding readers of both the darkness of that time and the light that can survive even in the bleakest moments.
It’s a heartbreaking yet inspiring read that offers another deeply personal perspective on survival, motherhood, and faith during the Holocaust.
November 11, 2018
The strength of Sala, a wife, mother, and Holocaust survivor is unimaginable. I can’t even begin to grasp the courage, resiliency, and downright guts it took to make it through what this woman did. Amazing read!!!
“When she returned, dawn was almost breaking. Her eyes were swollen from crying and her throat burned from all the dry heaving she had done. She felt like a golem, a demon, little more than a lifeless shell. But wasn’t that what she was? Only a monster could give away their own child. She had made a promise to herself, and now she had broken it. Her honor was all she had left, and even that was now stained.”
#BookNerd 📖📚🤓
“When she returned, dawn was almost breaking. Her eyes were swollen from crying and her throat burned from all the dry heaving she had done. She felt like a golem, a demon, little more than a lifeless shell. But wasn’t that what she was? Only a monster could give away their own child. She had made a promise to herself, and now she had broken it. Her honor was all she had left, and even that was now stained.”
#BookNerd 📖📚🤓
March 21, 2020
Ann Arnold writes beautifully in this biography of how her family survived the Holocaust through a combination of the kindness of strangers, street smarts and luck. I sometimes feel as though the biographies written by survivors’ family members are really written to document their stories for future generations of their own families. Ann Arnold goes beyond that in Together, in that it pertains to all readers about how heroic it is when people take a chance at their own risk to save others. Having heard her father’s story told by him personally, I appreciated that the author wove in more of the details. Definitely worth reading, the story will stick with you.
September 6, 2018
Heart breaking and Heart warming
This is a book that kept me spellbound throughout its entirety. When I had to stop reading, I could not wait to start again. It was captivating and at the same time heart breaking to read of the cruelty involved in the treatment of human beings, The things the family had to go through to survive were unimaginable. The book has such a real feeling to it, I found myself on the journey, hiding in the various places, holding my breath, with the people.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND
This is a book that kept me spellbound throughout its entirety. When I had to stop reading, I could not wait to start again. It was captivating and at the same time heart breaking to read of the cruelty involved in the treatment of human beings, The things the family had to go through to survive were unimaginable. The book has such a real feeling to it, I found myself on the journey, hiding in the various places, holding my breath, with the people.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND
March 23, 2020
Excellent book!!!
I find your book informative of how your family survived the most horrific period of the world! I saw your interview with your Dad in TV and was very excited to read the story of his life in hiding with your Aunt and Grandmother! She was definitely a strong woman and one that lived her children dearly! I hope in the future the world will never experience what your family endured and hope God watches over you all! Thank you!
I find your book informative of how your family survived the most horrific period of the world! I saw your interview with your Dad in TV and was very excited to read the story of his life in hiding with your Aunt and Grandmother! She was definitely a strong woman and one that lived her children dearly! I hope in the future the world will never experience what your family endured and hope God watches over you all! Thank you!
December 23, 2021
An Almost Unbelievable Story of Perseverance
This was a truly moving story of a mother’s love and the horrors visited on the Polish Jews during the Nazi occupation. That anyone at all survived is amazing. The story also brings to light the characters of the people they met along the way during their quest to stay alive. Some were evil and cruel and some generous and good and helped them at great danger to themselves.
This was a truly moving story of a mother’s love and the horrors visited on the Polish Jews during the Nazi occupation. That anyone at all survived is amazing. The story also brings to light the characters of the people they met along the way during their quest to stay alive. Some were evil and cruel and some generous and good and helped them at great danger to themselves.
August 18, 2023
Powerful Story of Survival
Author Ann Arnold recounts the story of how her Jewish grandmother and her two children managed to escape and barely survive the brutality of the German army in Poland during World War II. It is also a story of hope as a brave mother protects her children, finding ways to feed, clothe, and find shelter under the most dangerous situations. A remarkable story that needs to be shared. Highly recommended.
Author Ann Arnold recounts the story of how her Jewish grandmother and her two children managed to escape and barely survive the brutality of the German army in Poland during World War II. It is also a story of hope as a brave mother protects her children, finding ways to feed, clothe, and find shelter under the most dangerous situations. A remarkable story that needs to be shared. Highly recommended.
January 30, 2020
High altitude Gma
This is an excellent book....historical writing about the Nazi invasion of Poland and the ensuing flight of this Jewish family to survive. I don't think people today.....especially in America can fathom what it took to survive. It should be required reading for our young people so they don't get complacent about what is happening within our government today.
This is an excellent book....historical writing about the Nazi invasion of Poland and the ensuing flight of this Jewish family to survive. I don't think people today.....especially in America can fathom what it took to survive. It should be required reading for our young people so they don't get complacent about what is happening within our government today.
June 19, 2020
This is the story of a Jewish family and their survival in Poland during the holocaust. Ann Arnold wrote this so it could be recorded in history. It is the story of her grandmother saving her father and aunt from a people that wanted them dead. Unbelievable and not to be forgotten history; we should know this happened so it isn't repeated.
November 12, 2020
Never forget
In a world of uncertainties we should never forget the.history of what countries have been through to where they are now. We never want to live a life that the oppressed went through. The USA needs to watch carefully so as to not fall into an oppressive government. This book is a history book.
In a world of uncertainties we should never forget the.history of what countries have been through to where they are now. We never want to live a life that the oppressed went through. The USA needs to watch carefully so as to not fall into an oppressive government. This book is a history book.
April 4, 2021
Read this remarlable book in less than 24 hrs on a quiet weekend.
A strong story of survival, faith, strong people both victims and saviours.
Unforgettable real life characters in an unforgettable maelstrom of hate and terror yet also goodness and bravery.
No one can Never Forget after having read this book.
A strong story of survival, faith, strong people both victims and saviours.
Unforgettable real life characters in an unforgettable maelstrom of hate and terror yet also goodness and bravery.
No one can Never Forget after having read this book.
August 2, 2022
Stunning revelations and truths
Well presented and easy to read. Should be required in any school as a study program.
I hope young people of today know what happened and learn the lessons of that era. Bless all the people who survived and all those who are resting in God's loving arms.
Well presented and easy to read. Should be required in any school as a study program.
I hope young people of today know what happened and learn the lessons of that era. Bless all the people who survived and all those who are resting in God's loving arms.
December 27, 2022
The story must go on.
I didn't dislike any portion of this book. It was well written despite how it must have made the author feel, realizing her family survived such atrocities and trauma. I believe this book should be mandatory reading in high school. I also recommend this story to all non Jewish populations to learn the history.
I didn't dislike any portion of this book. It was well written despite how it must have made the author feel, realizing her family survived such atrocities and trauma. I believe this book should be mandatory reading in high school. I also recommend this story to all non Jewish populations to learn the history.
March 21, 2018
Important story
This is another incredible story of survival in the worst of times. We must never forget or deny that these events happened and these amazing, resilient people survived!
This is another incredible story of survival in the worst of times. We must never forget or deny that these events happened and these amazing, resilient people survived!
July 29, 2018
A wonderfully read
I read this book and thought what a remarkable. Lady. Sala. Was. To endure. So. Much in keeping. Her family. Together Well written and I would definitely. Recommend it as five. Stars
I read this book and thought what a remarkable. Lady. Sala. Was. To endure. So. Much in keeping. Her family. Together Well written and I would definitely. Recommend it as five. Stars
August 23, 2018
Well written story about survival.
This is an incredible story about a Jewish family struggling to survive during Nazi persecution in war torn Poland. The family nearly died many times.
This is an incredible story about a Jewish family struggling to survive during Nazi persecution in war torn Poland. The family nearly died many times.
January 25, 2019
This beautiful written, painful story was hard to read because I've known the Schonwetters for 30 years. If you get the opportunity to hear Ann and her father, Mark, tell their family story, they will break your heart and give you hope all at the same time, just like this book.
February 19, 2020
Ann Arnold shares her family's excursion through Poland's wide open as a war of countries roars around them. A short however brilliant, inspiring story of a mother's adoration to ensure her kids under the most sickening conditions. A fantastic and convincing read.
Read
March 1, 2020Excellent read if you like history of WWII. This was a true story about a jewish family in Poland. How they had to hid for 3 years until the war was over. Amazing what people can do to other people.
March 21, 2020
Such a wonderful book of family. This period in our history has always captivated me, but knowing that this was a survivors account made it even better. This mother was determined to keep her family Together, as difficult as it was. Together they survived. Together is worth the read.
April 1, 2020
Together a Journey for Survival
The authors often times graphic descriptions of the in humane treatment the Jewish people endured really brought the plot to life. What a wonderful tribute to her family in telling their story!
The authors often times graphic descriptions of the in humane treatment the Jewish people endured really brought the plot to life. What a wonderful tribute to her family in telling their story!
June 8, 2022
Great story and excellent writing.
I have read many stories written by Holocaust survivors. This one is different, it's special. I would recommend it to anyone who would like to read one and remember every page.
I have read many stories written by Holocaust survivors. This one is different, it's special. I would recommend it to anyone who would like to read one and remember every page.
March 22, 2023
The poem at the end says it all...."Those of you who feel you are not affected, are affected the most. Those of you who feel it did not happen,..." This is about a Mother's journey for survival with her 2 small children during the Hocaust.
August 3, 2024
Excellent - true story written by Molly’s friend - Ashley Arnold’s mom. It is about the survival of Ann Arnold’s father in Poland during World War II. Amazing how His mom kept herself and her 2 children alive during such a horrific time in history.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews