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Little Bird of Auschwitz
'My son Jacques is telling my story. I always wanted to tell it myself but never could. Maybe my English wasn't good enough. I never had the courage. I never imagined for a second it would be written down.'
As a reporter, Jacques Peretti has spent his life investigating important stories. But there was one story, heard in scattered fragments throughout his childhood, that he never thought to investigate. The story of how his mother survived Auschwitz.
In the few last months of the War, thirteen-year-old Alina Peretti, along with her mother and sister, was one of thirteen thousand non-Jewish Poles sent to Auschwitz, in the wake of the Warsaw Uprising. Her experiences there, which she rarely discussed, cast a shadow over the rest of her life.
Now ninety, Alina has been diagnosed with dementia. Together, mother and son begin a race against time to record her memories and preserve her family's story. For the first time, Alina recalls her experiences as a child during the Second World War, the horrors that she witnessed in Auschwitz, and the miraculous story of how she survived a firing squad.
Along the way, Jacques learns long-hidden secrets about his mother's family; his mysterious grandfather who lived a double-life, his grandmother who read tarot cards in a Soviet labour camp, and his aunt and uncles, whose fate he never knew. He also gains an understanding of his mother through retracing her past, learning more about the woman who would never let him call her 'Mum'.
As a reporter, Jacques Peretti has spent his life investigating important stories. But there was one story, heard in scattered fragments throughout his childhood, that he never thought to investigate. The story of how his mother survived Auschwitz.
In the few last months of the War, thirteen-year-old Alina Peretti, along with her mother and sister, was one of thirteen thousand non-Jewish Poles sent to Auschwitz, in the wake of the Warsaw Uprising. Her experiences there, which she rarely discussed, cast a shadow over the rest of her life.
Now ninety, Alina has been diagnosed with dementia. Together, mother and son begin a race against time to record her memories and preserve her family's story. For the first time, Alina recalls her experiences as a child during the Second World War, the horrors that she witnessed in Auschwitz, and the miraculous story of how she survived a firing squad.
Along the way, Jacques learns long-hidden secrets about his mother's family; his mysterious grandfather who lived a double-life, his grandmother who read tarot cards in a Soviet labour camp, and his aunt and uncles, whose fate he never knew. He also gains an understanding of his mother through retracing her past, learning more about the woman who would never let him call her 'Mum'.
297 pages, Paperback
First published January 20, 2022
23 people are currently reading
358 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
September 13, 2023
„Nie można wiedzieć wszystkiego – mówi. – To coś, czego uczysz się z wiekiem. Życie jest pełne luk i czasem lepiej pogodzić się z tym, że one stanowią część historii. To właśnie luki sprawiają, że wszystkie pewne punkty twojego życia – to, kogo kochasz i twoje wspomnienia – stają się jeszcze ważniejsze”.
Alina Peretti, Polka, która przeżyła wywózkę na Sybir, powstanie warszawskie i obóz w Auschwitz. Po wojnie studiowała architekturę na Uniwersytecie Wrocławskim. Po skończeniu nauki wraz z bratem wyemigrowała najpierw do Francji, a później do Wielkiej Brytanii, gdzie wyszła za mąż i pracowała jako architekt. Jej jedyny syn, Jacques Peretti, który pracuje jako dziennikarz „Guardiana”, w momencie znacznie postępującej demencji matki, postanowił napisać jej biografię. Doskonale zdawał sobie sprawę, że jest to ostatni moment, by spisać historię jego rodziny i utrwalić wspomnienia Aliny.
Alina Peretti dzisiaj ma ponad dziewięćdziesiąt lat. Kiedy wybuchła II wojna światowa była osiemioletnią dziewcznką. Wyjeżdżając z Warszawy wraz z matką nie przypuszczała, że jeżeli kiedyś będzie jej dane tu wrócić. Została wywieziona na Sybir, trafiła do obozów przejściowych, by w końcu znaleźć schronienie w Szwecji, gdzie mogła czuć się bezpiecznie. Jednak jej matka postanowiła wrócić do Warszawy, by odnaleźć pozostałe dzieci, choć nie miała pewności, czy nadal żyją. Cudem ocalałe po powstaniu warszawskim, Alina wraz z matką i starszą siostrą trafiły do miejsca, z którego tylko nielicznym udało się ocaleć – do Auschwitz.
.
„Dziewczyna bez gwiazdy” to wyjątkowa książka. Nie tylko ze względu na tematykę, ale głównie na sposób, w jaki została wydana. Autor w przepięknym stylu przelał na papier wspomnienia swojej mamy dotyczące przeżyć podczas drugiej wojny światowej, ale również zamieścił w niej rozmowy, jakie między sobą prowadzili w czasie powstawania biografii. Książka nie należy do łatwych, bowiem autor zabiera nas w podróż do najbardziej okrutnego czasu w historii Polski, w bardzo obrazowy sposób relacjonuje wydarzenia, których świadkiem była jego mama. Historia Aliny i jej rodziny pochłania nas bez reszty, wciąga czytelnika w wir przerażających wydarzeń i sprawia, że nic, co wokół nas nie ma znaczenia. Wydarzenia opisane w książce są zatrważające, jednak czytelnik chłonie kolejne strony z niesamowitym zaangażowaniem i ciekawością, jakby czytał powieść, od której oczekuje szczęśliwego zakończenia.
Przyznaję, że nie czytałam opisu. Wzięłam książkę do ręki z myślą, że trzymam w niej kolejną historię, w której autor swoją fabułę osadził w czasach wojennej zawieruchy. Nic bardziej mylnego. „Dziewczyna bez gwiazdy” to wspomnienia Aliny, które z każdym dniem coraz bardziej się zacierają i które jej syn, Jacques, z niezwykłą delikatnością i wrażliwością przelał na papier, dzięki temu ocalił je od zapomnienia.
Bardzo ważne jest, byśmy nigdy nie zapomnieli tego, czego doświadczyli nasi przodkowie podczas drugiej wojny światowej. Dzisiaj, tak bardzo żałuję, że nie mam już nikogo, z kim mogłabym porozmawiać i wspomnieć te trudne i bardzo bolesne czasy. Gdyby istniała taka możliwość, gdybym mogła cofnąć się w czasie, na pewno porozmawiałabym z moimi dziadkami. Żałuję, że kiedy było to możliwe, temat drugiej wojny światowej nie interesował mnie tak, jak dzisiaj.
Zachęcam do lektury wszystkich, nie tylko tych, których interesuje historia, tę książkę powinien przeczytać każdy, bowiem jest to najprawdziwsze świadectwo okrucieństwa, jakiego doświadczyli nasi rodacy z rąk nazistów.
Alina Peretti, Polka, która przeżyła wywózkę na Sybir, powstanie warszawskie i obóz w Auschwitz. Po wojnie studiowała architekturę na Uniwersytecie Wrocławskim. Po skończeniu nauki wraz z bratem wyemigrowała najpierw do Francji, a później do Wielkiej Brytanii, gdzie wyszła za mąż i pracowała jako architekt. Jej jedyny syn, Jacques Peretti, który pracuje jako dziennikarz „Guardiana”, w momencie znacznie postępującej demencji matki, postanowił napisać jej biografię. Doskonale zdawał sobie sprawę, że jest to ostatni moment, by spisać historię jego rodziny i utrwalić wspomnienia Aliny.
Alina Peretti dzisiaj ma ponad dziewięćdziesiąt lat. Kiedy wybuchła II wojna światowa była osiemioletnią dziewcznką. Wyjeżdżając z Warszawy wraz z matką nie przypuszczała, że jeżeli kiedyś będzie jej dane tu wrócić. Została wywieziona na Sybir, trafiła do obozów przejściowych, by w końcu znaleźć schronienie w Szwecji, gdzie mogła czuć się bezpiecznie. Jednak jej matka postanowiła wrócić do Warszawy, by odnaleźć pozostałe dzieci, choć nie miała pewności, czy nadal żyją. Cudem ocalałe po powstaniu warszawskim, Alina wraz z matką i starszą siostrą trafiły do miejsca, z którego tylko nielicznym udało się ocaleć – do Auschwitz.
.
„Dziewczyna bez gwiazdy” to wyjątkowa książka. Nie tylko ze względu na tematykę, ale głównie na sposób, w jaki została wydana. Autor w przepięknym stylu przelał na papier wspomnienia swojej mamy dotyczące przeżyć podczas drugiej wojny światowej, ale również zamieścił w niej rozmowy, jakie między sobą prowadzili w czasie powstawania biografii. Książka nie należy do łatwych, bowiem autor zabiera nas w podróż do najbardziej okrutnego czasu w historii Polski, w bardzo obrazowy sposób relacjonuje wydarzenia, których świadkiem była jego mama. Historia Aliny i jej rodziny pochłania nas bez reszty, wciąga czytelnika w wir przerażających wydarzeń i sprawia, że nic, co wokół nas nie ma znaczenia. Wydarzenia opisane w książce są zatrważające, jednak czytelnik chłonie kolejne strony z niesamowitym zaangażowaniem i ciekawością, jakby czytał powieść, od której oczekuje szczęśliwego zakończenia.
Przyznaję, że nie czytałam opisu. Wzięłam książkę do ręki z myślą, że trzymam w niej kolejną historię, w której autor swoją fabułę osadził w czasach wojennej zawieruchy. Nic bardziej mylnego. „Dziewczyna bez gwiazdy” to wspomnienia Aliny, które z każdym dniem coraz bardziej się zacierają i które jej syn, Jacques, z niezwykłą delikatnością i wrażliwością przelał na papier, dzięki temu ocalił je od zapomnienia.
Bardzo ważne jest, byśmy nigdy nie zapomnieli tego, czego doświadczyli nasi przodkowie podczas drugiej wojny światowej. Dzisiaj, tak bardzo żałuję, że nie mam już nikogo, z kim mogłabym porozmawiać i wspomnieć te trudne i bardzo bolesne czasy. Gdyby istniała taka możliwość, gdybym mogła cofnąć się w czasie, na pewno porozmawiałabym z moimi dziadkami. Żałuję, że kiedy było to możliwe, temat drugiej wojny światowej nie interesował mnie tak, jak dzisiaj.
Zachęcam do lektury wszystkich, nie tylko tych, których interesuje historia, tę książkę powinien przeczytać każdy, bowiem jest to najprawdziwsze świadectwo okrucieństwa, jakiego doświadczyli nasi rodacy z rąk nazistów.
January 24, 2022
In the last few months before the end of the Second World War Alina Peretti, her mother and her sister are three of the thirteen thousand non-Jewish Poles sent to Auschwitz as part of the Warsaw Uprising.
Now ninety, Alina has dementia, and her reporter son Jacques is racing against time to record her memories and share her story of survival. But they also discover several family secrets that have been buried deeply and Jacques finally learns why Alina has never allowed him to call her “mum.”
LITTLE BIRD OF AUSCHWITZ is an emotional and painstakingly researched story that instantly hooked me, when Jacques shares a story of his mother attempting to visit Auschwitz (she has tried several times since fleeing but has never made it through the gates) and overheard a tour guide (!!) promoting Holocaust denial sentiment.
Reviewing a book like this is always difficult and I’ve made no secret that I find memoirs especially hard to review.
I can only suggest that you take the time to read this as it will give you an eye-opening look at what it meant to be a non-Jewish prisoner in Auschwitz and in the occupied Warsaw at the height of the war.
I think it’s marvelous that Jacques wants to share Alina’s story before her memory has completely gone and naturally, I found this to be a heartbreaking yet powerful read.
Now ninety, Alina has dementia, and her reporter son Jacques is racing against time to record her memories and share her story of survival. But they also discover several family secrets that have been buried deeply and Jacques finally learns why Alina has never allowed him to call her “mum.”
LITTLE BIRD OF AUSCHWITZ is an emotional and painstakingly researched story that instantly hooked me, when Jacques shares a story of his mother attempting to visit Auschwitz (she has tried several times since fleeing but has never made it through the gates) and overheard a tour guide (!!) promoting Holocaust denial sentiment.
Reviewing a book like this is always difficult and I’ve made no secret that I find memoirs especially hard to review.
I can only suggest that you take the time to read this as it will give you an eye-opening look at what it meant to be a non-Jewish prisoner in Auschwitz and in the occupied Warsaw at the height of the war.
I think it’s marvelous that Jacques wants to share Alina’s story before her memory has completely gone and naturally, I found this to be a heartbreaking yet powerful read.
September 30, 2025
An excellent book although very hard to read at times as are all books on this subject. In parts it is graphic in its recollections of violent and unbelievably inhuman cruelty. I never fail to be amazed at how any of the people that lived through these horrific events managed to have any semblance of a normal life afterwards. They have my total respect.
February 4, 2022
“‘My son Jacques is telling my story. I always wanted to tell it myself but never could. Maybe my English wasn’t good enough. I never had the courage. I never imagined for a second it would be written down.’
As a reporter, Jacques Peretti has spent his life investigating important stories. But there was one story, heard in scattered fragments throughout his childhood, that he never thought to investigate. The story of how his mother survived Auschwitz.
In the few last months of the War, thirteen-year-old Alina Peretti, along with her mother and sister, was one of thirteen thousand non-Jewish Poles sent to Auschwitz, in the wake of the Warsaw Uprising. Her experiences there, which she rarely discussed, cast a shadow over the rest of her life.
Now ninety, Alina has been diagnosed with dementia. Together, mother and son begin a race against time to record her memories and preserve her family’s story. For the first time, Alina recalls her experiences as a child during the Second World War, the horrors that she witnessed in Auschwitz, and the miraculous story of how she survived a firing squad.
Along the way, Jacques learns long-hidden secrets about his mother’s family; his mysterious grandfather who lived a double-life, his grandmother who read tarot cards in a Soviet labour camp, and his aunt and uncles, whose fate he never knew. He also gains an understanding of his mother through retracing her past, learning more about the woman who would never let him call her ‘Mum’.”
This book was fascinating.
I went into this book believing I knew what I was getting, but I was very wrong. Most books I have read about WWII either focus on soldiers and the battles or civilians in the lead-up to and duration of the war. This book covers the lead-up to the war, the terror of living through the war in various places in Europe, the Warsaw uprising, Auschwitz, the collapse of the Third Reich, and the years after the war in the USSR. With so many horrific moments explored it wasn’t surprising that this book was difficult to read at times.
Jacques Peretti did a fantastic job capturing the tragedies of the time and the heartbreak that his Mum and her family faced while still highlighting the brighter moments of their lives and experiences. The way he was able to convey the emotions of both the heartwarming and heartbreaking situations in a way that was real and utter human-made for a truly emotional reading experience.
The only aspect of this book that I had trouble connecting with was the conversations that were included between Alina and Jacques that appear sporadically throughout the story. While I understand why these conversations were included I didn’t like the way they slowed the pace of this book down. As the story was unfolding at such a fast pace I found it quite jarring when the story stopped so that these snippets could be added.
This is one of those books that made me both laugh and cry and I am so glad that I read it. I am now looking forward to learning more about various moments that occurred both during and after WWII that were brought to my attention in this book.
Little Bird Of Auschwitz by Alina and Jacques Peretti is a must-read for everyone.
Geramie Kate Barker
gemsbooknook.wordpress.com
As a reporter, Jacques Peretti has spent his life investigating important stories. But there was one story, heard in scattered fragments throughout his childhood, that he never thought to investigate. The story of how his mother survived Auschwitz.
In the few last months of the War, thirteen-year-old Alina Peretti, along with her mother and sister, was one of thirteen thousand non-Jewish Poles sent to Auschwitz, in the wake of the Warsaw Uprising. Her experiences there, which she rarely discussed, cast a shadow over the rest of her life.
Now ninety, Alina has been diagnosed with dementia. Together, mother and son begin a race against time to record her memories and preserve her family’s story. For the first time, Alina recalls her experiences as a child during the Second World War, the horrors that she witnessed in Auschwitz, and the miraculous story of how she survived a firing squad.
Along the way, Jacques learns long-hidden secrets about his mother’s family; his mysterious grandfather who lived a double-life, his grandmother who read tarot cards in a Soviet labour camp, and his aunt and uncles, whose fate he never knew. He also gains an understanding of his mother through retracing her past, learning more about the woman who would never let him call her ‘Mum’.”
This book was fascinating.
I went into this book believing I knew what I was getting, but I was very wrong. Most books I have read about WWII either focus on soldiers and the battles or civilians in the lead-up to and duration of the war. This book covers the lead-up to the war, the terror of living through the war in various places in Europe, the Warsaw uprising, Auschwitz, the collapse of the Third Reich, and the years after the war in the USSR. With so many horrific moments explored it wasn’t surprising that this book was difficult to read at times.
Jacques Peretti did a fantastic job capturing the tragedies of the time and the heartbreak that his Mum and her family faced while still highlighting the brighter moments of their lives and experiences. The way he was able to convey the emotions of both the heartwarming and heartbreaking situations in a way that was real and utter human-made for a truly emotional reading experience.
The only aspect of this book that I had trouble connecting with was the conversations that were included between Alina and Jacques that appear sporadically throughout the story. While I understand why these conversations were included I didn’t like the way they slowed the pace of this book down. As the story was unfolding at such a fast pace I found it quite jarring when the story stopped so that these snippets could be added.
This is one of those books that made me both laugh and cry and I am so glad that I read it. I am now looking forward to learning more about various moments that occurred both during and after WWII that were brought to my attention in this book.
Little Bird Of Auschwitz by Alina and Jacques Peretti is a must-read for everyone.
Geramie Kate Barker
gemsbooknook.wordpress.com
May 22, 2022
This is a book of real survival: the survival of hell on earth as a child, and living a full, happy life thereafter. Alina Peretti was born in 1931 in (what was then) Poland, and was only 8 when the Germans declared war on Poland and entered on one side (while the USSR entered on the other and occupied land on that side). Alina Peretti is not Jewish but she was a direct witness (and victim) of the atrocities committed by the Nazis against the Poles. Now in her 90’s, with dementia taking over her brain, her story is being told by her son, who during the early days of Covid spent time listening to her relay memories and answer his questions. Jacques Peretti is an investigative journalist, and manages to capture his mother’s story so well, filling in the blanks with his own research, and providing some very important information on what happened in Poland during WW2. Alina did end up in Auschwitz nearer the end of the war, but that isn’t the most important part of this book: that part would be how she and her mother Olga survived the 5 years leading up to their deportation.
The Nazis did not treat Warsaw in the same way they treated Paris. The end game with Warsaw was always complete decimation, and once the city rose up against them, that is exactly what they did. On the other side the Soviets had no intention of liberating the Polish people either, unless that meant liberating them of their homes and possessions, and sending them to Siberia. I have family members who lost everything that way, packed off to Siberia and let free once Hitler stabbed Stalin in the back, but never allowed back to what was once their homes. This is exactly what happened to Alina and her family, and her story is amazing, especially when you find out that Olga and Alina managed to make it out to Sweden, only to go back to Warsaw in 1942 to find Alina’s three other siblings.
Little Bird of Auschwitz is written in a chronological way, with small areas here and there where Jacques details pieces of conversations he has with his mother in the present time. I appreciate that there is no attempt to hide the brutality and violence of the occupiers (Nazi or Soviet), mainly because it is the truth and we must never forget this truth, especially today when most of the survivors have left us. There are way to few books about the fate of the Polish people during WW2, and what happened to them before and after the war too, and I am glad that Jacques Peretti was able to publish his mother’s story. Maybe one day my brother will be able to do the same with his grandparents’ stories…
(Thanks to my mum for sending this book to me, she knows exactly what I like to read).
The Nazis did not treat Warsaw in the same way they treated Paris. The end game with Warsaw was always complete decimation, and once the city rose up against them, that is exactly what they did. On the other side the Soviets had no intention of liberating the Polish people either, unless that meant liberating them of their homes and possessions, and sending them to Siberia. I have family members who lost everything that way, packed off to Siberia and let free once Hitler stabbed Stalin in the back, but never allowed back to what was once their homes. This is exactly what happened to Alina and her family, and her story is amazing, especially when you find out that Olga and Alina managed to make it out to Sweden, only to go back to Warsaw in 1942 to find Alina’s three other siblings.
Little Bird of Auschwitz is written in a chronological way, with small areas here and there where Jacques details pieces of conversations he has with his mother in the present time. I appreciate that there is no attempt to hide the brutality and violence of the occupiers (Nazi or Soviet), mainly because it is the truth and we must never forget this truth, especially today when most of the survivors have left us. There are way to few books about the fate of the Polish people during WW2, and what happened to them before and after the war too, and I am glad that Jacques Peretti was able to publish his mother’s story. Maybe one day my brother will be able to do the same with his grandparents’ stories…
(Thanks to my mum for sending this book to me, she knows exactly what I like to read).
August 15, 2022
I think the title is misleading as this is so much more than an Auschwitz story. The unplanned splitting up of a Polish family at the beginning of the second world war, dementia, memories set against the Covid pandemic. Then following the 3 strands of the family in different areas of war and the reuniting of some of them and resuming/creating post war lives.
Told in an unusual but gripping way.
Told in an unusual but gripping way.
February 24, 2023
Brilliant written book
February 14, 2023
Fantastic
It was a little hard to get into at first but once I got started I really enjoyed it it ended up been a page turner
It was a little hard to get into at first but once I got started I really enjoyed it it ended up been a page turner
Read
May 26, 2022Beautiful
One of the best books I have ever read. A story told with such emotion. Now that I've finished it, I feel sad. Like I have lost friends.
I will read it again very soon. Thank you Alina and Jacques
One of the best books I have ever read. A story told with such emotion. Now that I've finished it, I feel sad. Like I have lost friends.
I will read it again very soon. Thank you Alina and Jacques
August 13, 2023
The story of a family surviving Warsaw , the Germans and the Russians and their concentration camps.The story is told as an interview by the 'Little bird' the name given by the doctor in Auschwitz to little girls who were experimented upon.
Alina Peretti is recounting to her son , Jacques what she went through then , she is now in her ninetees and getting dementia .
The remarks on the present Covid 19 makes the writing recent and I feel authentic .
Pg110 Of note is Viscount Cranbourne remarks in March 1943 in the British parliamnet agains the saving of Jews , they should not be considered as a special case . The British priority was to hold on to its Empire and not open Brtitsh controlled Palestine to a mass influx of Jews ..by liberating the concentration camps they would creat a migrant crises
pg 108 Poland AK Antonina Mijal ka Tosia , Major Zofia Franio all female sapper unit .
Pg 110 Resistance couriers Anna Zakrzewska 'white Hannah ', Stefania Grzeszczak 'Swist'
Marek Edelman the last Warsaw uprising survivor.
Alina Peretti is recounting to her son , Jacques what she went through then , she is now in her ninetees and getting dementia .
The remarks on the present Covid 19 makes the writing recent and I feel authentic .
Pg110 Of note is Viscount Cranbourne remarks in March 1943 in the British parliamnet agains the saving of Jews , they should not be considered as a special case . The British priority was to hold on to its Empire and not open Brtitsh controlled Palestine to a mass influx of Jews ..by liberating the concentration camps they would creat a migrant crises
pg 108 Poland AK Antonina Mijal ka Tosia , Major Zofia Franio all female sapper unit .
Pg 110 Resistance couriers Anna Zakrzewska 'white Hannah ', Stefania Grzeszczak 'Swist'
Marek Edelman the last Warsaw uprising survivor.
September 12, 2023
A true story of Alina Peretti written by her son Jacques, but in Alina’s words. Alina is 90, and has been diagnosed with dementia, and Jacques is anxious to capture her story. Alina, and her sister and two brothers and their mother had managed to survive in Warsaw through the war, but in the last few months as the Germans were losing the war, her brothers as part of the Polish resistance went of to fight the Nazi’s on the streets. Alina and her mother and sister hid themselves until they were captured and sent to Auschwitz. This is her story of her survival, and tha t of her mother and one of her bothers. A well written, and beautifully told story of this brave woman of her strength and courage at such a terrible time in our history.
April 6, 2022
One of the most inspiring books I have read in a long time. Alina, whose story it is, was a survivor of the most incredible hardship and suffering yet she never let it get her down. She experienced unspeakable horrors from the age of 9 which included being incarcerated in the concentration camp Auschwitz. She held no bitterness in her heart despite her experience and extended a warm welcome to everyone in later life irrespective of their colour or their race. She was a fantastic lady whose essence is captured in this book by her journalist son. I couldn't put the book down.
May 20, 2023
The Title of the Book is what piqued my interest. However, I found the title to be misleading in that very little time and detail was spent on Alina's time in Auschwitz. A large chunk of the book was dedicated to her Father's activities with the Polish underground movement which was not what I was expecting and felt it detracted from Alina's story.
A somewhat enlightening read from the perspective of an insight into dementia and her son trying to extract all her memories of her experiences during the Second World War before her dementia ensures those memories are lost forever.
A somewhat enlightening read from the perspective of an insight into dementia and her son trying to extract all her memories of her experiences during the Second World War before her dementia ensures those memories are lost forever.
December 18, 2022
Biography of Peretti's mother's life growing up in Poland during WWII and how she came to live in England. It confirmed everything my Grandad told me about Poland. I never doubted him but it was good to have it verified by someone not connected to him. Harrowing reading in parts though.
March 23, 2023
This book provided a unique perspective on the events of WW2 and the Holocaust, unlike any other I have read.
I feel like I need to re-read it to fully grasp all the detail, information and emotion.
Definitely the best book I have read in years.
I feel like I need to re-read it to fully grasp all the detail, information and emotion.
Definitely the best book I have read in years.
February 19, 2024
This book captured me from the very beginning and as I ventured into the journey, I found such a powerful but yet vulnerability of seeing what it must have been like for my own ancestors as they escaped Poland for a better future for us as their next generations .
March 22, 2025
An incredibly enlightening book. The cruelty shown to others was incredulous during Alina’s early life. Amazing woman who endured, survived and forgave. She lived the best life after enduring much.
August 3, 2025
being a history lover and always wanting to learn a deeper understanding of the events that occurred during the 2nd world war, i found this heart wrenching, but loving the Mother/son relationship in the telling of this story. a must read
October 25, 2023
Great insight from an insider on the lives of those affected by the tragedies of the second world war. Absolutely amazing and a must read.
March 28, 2024
*4.5 stars
June 21, 2024
Unbelievable.
July 1, 2024
Easy to read and interesting
February 17, 2025
I could not read this fast enough. A really incredible story.
May 18, 2023
Questo è un libro meraviglioso che merita di essere conosciuto e letto anche a scuola.
Alla base della testimonianza di una donna, Alina Peretti, madre dell'autore e sopravvissuta sia alla rivolta di Versavia che alla deportazione del campo di concentramento Auschwitz-Birkenau, c è uno studio approfondito dei fatti resilienti della seconda guerra mondiale. In particolare vengono citati nomi degli uomini e delle donne più vicini a Hitler che hanno permesso le maggiori atrocità; ma anche i nomi di uomini, donne e bambini vittime ed eroi.
Sullo sfondo c è la straordinaria famiglia di Alina che ha contribuito a salvarla: il padre Michael, architetto, faceva parte in segreto della resistenza polacca a Parigi; la mamma Olga, cartomante e passionale, con la sua tenacia, ha preso scelte discutibili che le hanno garantito la sopravvivenza sua e di Alina e poi i fratelli Pavel, Juta e Kazhik che hanno combattuto contro il nemico mantenendo la loro integrità e sfruttando il loro naturale talento.
Nonostante sia frutto delle conversazioni tra Alina e il figlio Jacques, nate dall'esigenza di anticipare la demenza della madre e dall'ossessione del passato del figlio, il racconto della famiglia Peretti è in terza persona permettendo così al lettore di conoscere a tutto tondo le peripezie di ciascun personaggio. La narrazione comprende un arco temporale che va poco prima dall'evasione tedesca a Versavia alla Polonia comunista. Poiché la famiglia Peretti non è ebrea, il lettore potrà avere una versione del periodo nazista dal punto di vista dei polacchi e della lotta alla sopravvivenza.
In conclusione, sono estasiata dal modo di scrivere dell'autore e dalla struttura scelta per raccontare e omaggiare la straordinaria vita della mamma Alina.
Buona lettura!
Alla base della testimonianza di una donna, Alina Peretti, madre dell'autore e sopravvissuta sia alla rivolta di Versavia che alla deportazione del campo di concentramento Auschwitz-Birkenau, c è uno studio approfondito dei fatti resilienti della seconda guerra mondiale. In particolare vengono citati nomi degli uomini e delle donne più vicini a Hitler che hanno permesso le maggiori atrocità; ma anche i nomi di uomini, donne e bambini vittime ed eroi.
Sullo sfondo c è la straordinaria famiglia di Alina che ha contribuito a salvarla: il padre Michael, architetto, faceva parte in segreto della resistenza polacca a Parigi; la mamma Olga, cartomante e passionale, con la sua tenacia, ha preso scelte discutibili che le hanno garantito la sopravvivenza sua e di Alina e poi i fratelli Pavel, Juta e Kazhik che hanno combattuto contro il nemico mantenendo la loro integrità e sfruttando il loro naturale talento.
Nonostante sia frutto delle conversazioni tra Alina e il figlio Jacques, nate dall'esigenza di anticipare la demenza della madre e dall'ossessione del passato del figlio, il racconto della famiglia Peretti è in terza persona permettendo così al lettore di conoscere a tutto tondo le peripezie di ciascun personaggio. La narrazione comprende un arco temporale che va poco prima dall'evasione tedesca a Versavia alla Polonia comunista. Poiché la famiglia Peretti non è ebrea, il lettore potrà avere una versione del periodo nazista dal punto di vista dei polacchi e della lotta alla sopravvivenza.
In conclusione, sono estasiata dal modo di scrivere dell'autore e dalla struttura scelta per raccontare e omaggiare la straordinaria vita della mamma Alina.
Buona lettura!
October 26, 2022
This is the story of how Jacques Peretti's mother survived Auschwitz. Alina was thirteen years old when sent to Auschwitz with her mother and sister. There is so much to Alina's story, giving the reader an understanding of what it was like growing up in Poland in the late 1930s and early 1940s.
Now diagnosed with dementia, Jacques has recorded his mother's memories of the Warsaw Uprising and Auschwitz to preserve her story. Much of Alina's story is difficult and confronting to read but certainly well worth reading.
Now diagnosed with dementia, Jacques has recorded his mother's memories of the Warsaw Uprising and Auschwitz to preserve her story. Much of Alina's story is difficult and confronting to read but certainly well worth reading.
February 5, 2022
A powerful read
A heart rending record, not only of one person's experience. Extremely written. I highly recommend this book. A book that all should read.
A heart rending record, not only of one person's experience. Extremely written. I highly recommend this book. A book that all should read.
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