Always Remember Your Name

by Andra Bucci

La sera del 28 marzo 1944 i violenti colpi alla porta di casa fanno riemergere negli adulti della famiglia Perlow antichi incubi. La pace trovata a Fiume, dopo un lungo peregrinare per l'Europa cominciato agli inizi del Novecento in fuga dai pogrom antiebraici, finisce nonna, figli e nipoti vengono arrestati e, dopo una breve sosta nella Risiera di San Sabba a Trieste, deportati ad Auschwitz-Birkenau, dove molti di loro saranno uccisi.

Sopravvissute alle selezioni forse perché scambiate per gemelle o forse perché figlie di un padre cattolico, o semplicemente per un gioco del destino, le due sorelle Tatiana (6 anni) e Andra (4) vengono internate, insieme al cugino Sergio (7), in un Kinderblock, il blocco dei bambini destinati alle più atroci sperimentazioni mediche.

In questo libro, le sorelle Bucci raccontano, per la prima volta con la loro voce, ciò che hanno il freddo, la fame, i giochi nel fango e nella neve, gli spettrali mucchi di cadaveri buttati negli angoli, le fugaci visite della mamma, emaciata fino a diventare irriconoscibile. E sempre, sullo sfondo, quel camino che sputa fumo e fiamme, unica via da cui «si esce» se sei ebreo, come dicono le guardiane.

L'assurda e tragica quotidianità di Birkenau penetra senza altre spiegazioni nella mente delle due bambine, che si convincono che quella è la vita «normale». Il solo modo per resistere e sopravvivere alla tragedia, perché la consuetudine scolora la paura.

Finché, dopo nove mesi di inferno, ecco apparire un soldato con una divisa diversa e una stella rossa sul berretto. Sorride mentre offre una fetta del salame che sta è il 27 gennaio 1945, la liberazione. Che non segna però la fine del loro peregrinare.

Dovrà passare altro tempo prima che Tatiana e Andra ritrovino i genitori e quell'infanzia che è stata loro rubata. Le sorelline trascorreranno ancora un anno in un grigio orfanotrofio di Praga e alcuni mesi a Lingfield in Inghilterra, in un centro di recupero diretto da Anna Freud, dove finalmente conosceranno la normalità.

Secondo le stime più recenti ad Auschwitz-Birkenau vennero deportati oltre 230.000 bambini e bambine provenienti da tutta Europa, solo poche decine sono sopravvissuti. Questo è lo struggente racconto di due di loro.

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

Paperback

First published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Angela M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two Italian sisters, six and four years old, sent to Birkenau in April 1944 where number 76483 and 76484 were tattooed on their wrists.

They did not forget their names while at this extermination camp, where few survived, because their mother, also there told them : “Remember, your name is Liliana by Bucci.” Remember, your name is Andra Bucci.”

After liberation, they had memories of “fear and terror”, of being cold, of “a constant smell of burning”, but they didn’t speak of that horrific time for decades not even to each other, not even with their mother. Today, I am grateful that they are bear witness, teach younger generations, and in this moving, jointly told memoir they remind us that it is imperative to remember.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Bonnier Books through NetGalley.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non c’è nulla da dire. Va letto e basta, come si deve prendere una medicina.
Le 5 stelle non riguardano il valore letterario, chiaramente.

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

On March 28, 1944, Tatiana and her sister Andra, six and four years old respectively, were woken during the night, apprehended by German and Italian soldiers, and banished to Auschwitz, where virtually all children were put to death upon their arrival. Their father was born in Fiume, which is where he met their mother who was Jewish, and although both she and the girls had converted to Catholicism in anticipation of growing antagonism against Jews, they had been exposed by someone. The records show that 29 males, 53 females managed to make it through that day, and for the remaining 103, including their grandmother, and their aunt, that day would be their last.

Their mother, who was separated from them in Auschwitz, managed to visit them often, instilling in them the need to remember their names, ’always remember your name,’ she would tell them each time she was able to visit. She knew it was the key to any chance of being able to find them, once the war was over, providing they all survived. Despite the statistics showing that children rarely lasted in Auschwitz for even a year, they survived. This is their story.

Reading these stories, even the fictional ones, are always gutting, but the personal aspect of this one, the ages of these young girls added another level of atrocity, despite knowing that they will survive. So many others were lost, which made me think of those parents who survived, only to ultimately find that their children did not. A neverending heartbreak. But these sisters survived, as did their memories of this time in their life, and so their stories will live on. And from their life story, others will know, and learn, hopefully.

Older now, they are able to share their stories, and share their personal truth of this time, teaching those who did not live through this time the truth of those years. And so these stories will never be forgotten, and hopefully, never be repeated.

A story of evil against the power of a mother’s love and the bond of sisters.


Pub Date: 18 Jan 2022

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Astra Publishing House / Astra House

[Natalie M · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is very difficult to rate a memoir when the subject matter is so horrific - so this review is based on comparisons to other Holocaust biographies/true stories.

Moving, evocative, gut-wrenching, traumatising, as one would expect. Two Italian sisters, Andra and Tati Bucci, six and four years old, were sent to Birkenau in April 1944.

Their mother reminds them, "Remember, your names," and they do not forget.

The story focuses mainly on their time after liberation, as they have only fragmented memories of terror, cold, and the smells of burning at the camp. And rightly so, as four and six-year-olds, memories are not that easily recollected seventy years later. Their story's value and importance to me is the period from liberation to reunification with their family and their efforts to bring their story to the world.

For me, the author's note at the end had the most impact. The translator, Ann Goldstein, clarifies that the sisters are not professional writers. The memoir deals with their work with Holocaust centres, speaking to school groups and visitors dedicated to a continuing awareness of the Holocaust.

Their willingness to share their story is not in the horrors they suffered but in their enduring message that no one should ever be silenced and man's inhumanity to man should always be held in check!

So why my four-star rating: the very confusing points-of-view which constantly switched between "we", "I", and then some 3rd person PoVs, the rest - exceptional.

[Come Musica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tra 3 e 4 stelle.

La testimonianza di due bambine italiane sopravvissute ad Auschwitz per una serie di eventi fortuiti.

Un monito per non dimenticare!

“Gli italiani si sono dimenticati di quando anche loro sono stati esuli o emigranti, e di come sono stati trattati in Belgio, in Francia, in Svizzera, in Germania oppure Oltreoceano. Tatiana ricorda, per esempio, che a Marcinelle, in Belgio dove vive, c’erano cartelli con scritto «Proibito agli italiani», esattamente come, anni prima, i cartelli dei nazisti dicevano «Proibito agli ebrei». È qualcosa che deve farci riflettere tutti. Il sonno della ragione genera mostri, non possiamo abbassare la guardia, neppure per un attimo.
Ci domandano spesso cosa c’entri Auschwitz con tutto questo, se la memoria di ciò che è stato possa aiutare a comportarsi meglio. Noi crediamo che dovrebbe, anche se, a giudicare dai fatti, a volte ci sentiamo scoraggiate. Ma poi, guardando negli occhi i giovani che ci ascoltano, ci torna la speranza. Immediatamente. Parlare, testimoniare la nostra esperienza è per noi fondamentale, perché speriamo che serva ai ragazzi. La nostra convinzione è che, se anche uno solo di quegli studenti avrà davvero capito, sarà stato giusto esserci state e averlo fatto.”


Noi, bambine ad Auschwitz. La nostra storia di sopravvissute alla Shoah ~ Andra Bucci

[Deanne Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is hauntingly beautiful. This heartbreaking book is written by two sisters who survive Auschwitz as children. Prisoners there at a very young age, unimaginable things happen to everyone unfortunate enough to have been captured and carted off there. Many give up when they are there as the will to live is gone because they see no way to escape from this life. This is the sister's story written by them as adults so we get a complete perspective of what they went through and how they survived despite their piteous treatment when those all around them perished including their own family members.
Sad but uplifting as we see these sister's changing lives with the way they encourage other's not to give up.

Pub Date 20 Jan 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

[Thelma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story as always very moving and very hard to assimilate what these women went through.

This is the story of two sisters who survive the atrocities of Auschwitz separated from their mother Tati and Andra are not ready to give up even if that meant doing whatever it takes to survive in such terrible inhumane conditions. they never forget their name no matter how much the evil man wanted to do that with every prisoner.

I felt really sad when Tati and Andra were separated from their mom Mira, the stories about children during ww2 were really heartbreaking, I still can't understand the level of coldness and inhumanity of the SS and the Nazis had. I just can't comprehend what they had in their heart but I guess they didn't have a heart at all. the only part that made me feel a little less sad were those times when Mira was able to visit them. always reminding them to never forget their names.

This is the true story of Tati and Andra who are now older enough to be able to re-tail their story.

I really love the book so much. the only thing that I really didn't like was the way it was written as I had a hard time keeping up, but once I was able to understand the distribution and how it was written I was able to enjoy the story even more.

I don't like to rate books that are biographies or memoirs because I think this is the personal story of a person and shouldn't be rated but this book was good and I thank Tati and Andra for telling us their story they deserve all the love and peace.

Thank you, NetGalley, Greenleaf Book Group, Greenleaf Book Group Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Maddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always Remember Your Name by Andre and Tatiana Bucci


This is a true story of two miracle children. A six year old and a four year old who were deported to Auschwitz in 1944 and managed to survive. Very very few children survived the camps, and especially not ones so young.


This is their tale, told in their own words but translated into English. This is not made into a novel, with dialogue made up by the author, but the actual testimony of these remarkable survivors. The tale doesn't stop at the liberation of the camps. These children finished their internment believing their parents had died, and were taken with other survivors to a refuge in England. Their remarkable story continues almost to the present day, with details of their children and grandchildren, and how they cope with their memories of their time in the camps to this day.


A remarkable piece of history, and one everyone should read.

[iva° · Rating 3 out of 5]

s obzirom da su bile stvarno male djevojčice kad su bile odvedene u auschwitz (5 i 7 godina), njihova ispovijest je narušena što zubom vremena, a što selektivnim pamćenjem/zaboravom. nadala sam se detaljnijem uvidu u taj sramotni dio povijesti, ali to je izostalo... jedva da je iznesena neka nova informacija. vrijednost ove knjige jest kao osobno svjedočanstvo dviju sada odraslih žena/baka koje su, čudom, preživjele logor, više nego kao izvor informacija.

[Annalisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Il valore della testimonianza è indubbio e altissimo.

[Micaela Meloni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Più leggo le storie dell'olocausto e più ne voglio leggere. Probabilmente è macabro e doloroso, ma mi ricorda ogni giorno di più perché non potrò ma essere razzista o nazifascista.

[Lozzi Counsell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really good and informative read. The book just focused on the wrong aspects for what I expected. If you are looking for details of the sisters being reunited with family members after the war and information on how their lives developed afterward, this is the perfect read for you. My interests were more towards the Josef Mengele experiments and what they went through in Auschwitz. Unfortunately, that period of time had a lot of "we can't remember" and all they saw of the experiments were children being picked to leave and not coming back.

I struggled a bit with the POV, as the book was written from the POV of BOTH sisters, so it was a lot of "we", which wasn't an issue but then they'd still have to differentiate between themselves and so would use their names too, which I'd often mistake for them talking about another character temporarily. Maybe it's because I've never read a book with two people as one narrator before that made it a bit jarring for me. But it really provides a massive insight into how a lot of what went on was hushed immediately after the war, how adults who ended up in these camps often moved on and how people dealt with the grief of often not knowing if a relative was alive or dead and not being able to accept the ones confirmed dead.

[Janilyn Kocher · Rating 5 out of 5]

WWII continues to deliver untold stories. Two sisters, both younger than 6, survived Aushwitz. It's a moving story, one of endurance and poignancy. Stories like this are a marvel and the fact they survived and were also reunited with their parents is nothing short of miraculous. Thanks to Edelweiss and Astra Books for the advance copy.

[Giulia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andra e tatiana Bucci furono deportate ad Auschwitz insieme a tutti i membri della loro famiglia il 28 Marzo del 1944. Vengono separate dalla mamma e dalla nonna, ma, inspiegabilmente, non vengono giustiziate, forse perché sembravano delle gemelle e quindi utili agli esperimenti che i nazisti eseguivano sui bambini ebrei.

Il libro è che il racconto di questa esperienza, loro, bambine molto piccole che, insieme al cugino Sergio, sono costrette a vivere una quotidianità fatta di freddo, fame, dolore. Ma loro, forti come solo dei bambini possono essere, e grazie ad un'immensa fortuna che le aiuta, riescono a sopravvivere a questo orrore.
Una volta liberate dal campo di concentramento il loro pellegrinare non finisce. Infatti verranno spostate da una parte all'altra dell'Europa prima di riuscire ad abbracciare i propri genitori.

È un libro molto breve, ma molto intenso. È un libro che fa male nella sua lettura, è un pugno nello stomaco dietro l'altro, nella descrizione della vita nel campo e quando raccontano del loro cugino Sergio e dei bambini che vivono con loro questo momento così duro e doloroso.
Raccontano del freddo che patiscono, ma non hanno paura, e questo colpisce, e mi domando come facciano due bambine così piccole a non provare paura dopo essere state separate dalla propria madre e buttate in un Kinderblock, in cui i bambini sono destinati alle sperimentazioni mediche dei nazisti.
Ma forse è proprio la loro giovanissima età e la loro innocenza che le porta a non aver paura, ad adattarsi a quella vita considerandola normale, ma anche a non perdersi, a ricordarsi sempre la loro identità.

Il racconto delle due ormai anziane signore, è quasi una cronaca, sembra quasi che sia fatta con distacco, ma tra le righe si riescono a leggere i sentimenti con cui le due hanno affrontato la loro vita.
Questo distacco è accentuato dal modo di esporre i fatti. Le due si alternano nel racconto, ma nonostante parlino di loro stesse, non si indicano mai in prima persona ma si rivolgono a loro stesse sempre in terza persona, come se le vicende narrate riguardino qualche altra bambina e non loro.

Leggendo questa storia, sono ancora una volta rimasta allibita di come l'uomo sia stato in grado di uccidere i suoi simili, di perpetrare tutto il male guardando negli occhi bambini, mamme, nonne, papà, senza provare nessun tipo di pietà, ma odiandoli solo perché appartenenti ad un'etnia diversa dalla loro.

Questo racconto andrebbe letto dovunque, nelle scuole, a casa, dai ragazzi di ogni età. Per fare in modo che orrori del genere non si ripetino più.

È un avvertimento al nostro presente, a non dimenticare, a non far si che di nuovo possano esserci degli abomini simili, che purtroppo periodicamente continuano ad avvenire nel mondo.

E il compito che le due donne si sono imposte è proprio quello di divulgare il più possibile la loro esperienza, in modo che il mondo impari e non ricada più negli stessi errori.

“Non si pensa a quanto difficile sia per tutti lasciare la propria casa, i parenti, le abitudini. Gli italiani si sono dimenticati di quando anche loro sono stati esuli o emigranti, e di come sono stati trattati in Belgio, in Francia, in Svizzera, in Germania oppure Oltreoceano”

E la cosa che mi colpisce, dopo aver letto questa frase, è come ancora sia attualissima, di come gli esseri umani abbiano la memoria corta, e di come, ogni volta, si ripetano le stesse orribili gesta e si ricada negli stessi pregiudizi.

Oggi il nostro paese sta vivendo una nuova era di razzismo fatta di paura, di diffidenza, e si tende di nuovo a emarginare il diverso, colui che non ha le stesse usanze e la stessa religione, come se solo questo possa fare un uomo.
Bisogna quindi ancora riflettere sul passato, perché questo sia da monito al presente.

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't really have a lot to say about Always Remember Your Name: The Children of Auschwitz by Andra Bucci. This was absolutely brutal, but it is a must read. We can't forget this part of history.

[Anto M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Il motivo per il quale ogni anno, a ridosso del Giorno della memoria, leggo un libro che ricordi l'Olocausto è racchiuso in questa semplice frase che le autrici scrivono alla fine del romanzo:

Ogni anno è importante ricordare e parlare di quanto accaduto a noi e a così tante altre persone...per non dimenticare.

Che siano memorie di chi ha vissuto in prima persona, sulla propria pelle, l'orrore di quel periodo folle, come nel caso delle sorelle Bucci, o che siano romanzi frutto della fantasia di un autore è importante raccontare perché nonostante il tempo passi, l'intolleranza e l'antisemitismo, sembrano non passare mai del tutto.
Ambientato tra Fiume, Trieste (Risiera di San Saba) e Auschwitz il libro non usa mai descrizioni molto forti dato che è destinato ai ragazzi. Le autrici alla fine si interrogano se questo tipo di storie possano essere raccontate a giovani lettori. Assolutamente sì!

[Carolyn Scarcella · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book I’m reading yesterday is called “Always remember your name” by Tatiana and Andra Bucci. The story is just an unforgettable, powerful, sisterhood, determination, where
their mother to keep an eye on them when it should have impossible, and their strength to keep going. Like I said, I’ve been reading many novel’s about the Holocaust, but, they are quite sad reads due to the devastating loss of life during the occupation years, which 230 thousand children were deported and less than 200 children have survived is horrific. The Bucci sisters are one of the under the age of eight of the 70 children to have survived Auschwitz. The Bucci sisters spent their lives in Fiume, Italy at the time, now that name is Rijeka is now under Croatia. As a result, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and this one should be considered for schools to learn and read.

[Mojca Rudolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Že pred nekaj leti sem se odločila, da ne preberem niti ene knjige več o taboriščih smrti. Prebrala sem jih ogromno. Še dolgo nazaj, čisto vse, kar so izšle pri nas. Le da so jih takrat pisali avtorji, ki so to dejansko preživeli in ni šlo za nekakšno populistično manijo o nekom, ki je.... Toda ta se mi je zdela drugačna in sem ji dala priložnost. Imela sem prav. Le mali delček se dogaja na kraju samem, a tudi to je povedano iz gledišča dveh majhnih deklic. Veliko bolj pomembno mi je bila tista zgodovina pred tem, saj sta deklici iz Reke, in še bolj: tisto, kar je sledilo. Kako preživeti po tem, kar si doživel? Kako se drugi obnašajo do tistih vtetoviranih številk. Kako najti mesto v svetu?
Brez sentimentalnosti, obžalovanja in obtoževanja. Odličen prikaz tistega in kasnejšega sveta in zgodovine.

[Joanne Eglon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking 4 star Read. Quick read with only 161 pages. Informative read. Authors note at the end was a nice touch to end of book. Hard to rate memoirs with such horrific subject matters, however I kept one star off due to the way this was written at times it got a little confusing at times. Would definitely recommend 💕

[Only_ioana · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stelle per la storia, a livello di sintassi non ci siamo proprio.

[Ashlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What an incredibly powerful book. Always Remember Your Name is a memoir that has been translated to English. These two sisters somehow survived when most children didn’t in their situation during the holocaust. This is about their life during the war, all the loss that they faced and the determination of their mother, as well as their life after the war and how they could look to the future and eventually tell their story to the world. It’s emotional, it’s raw, and it’s real.

The story did switch between first person and third, but with two authors both telling their story together, it made sense because they needed to describe who they were talking about at times while others it was “us.” This is a fairly short book, making it a quick read. Right from the start, I honestly thought this book was going to be incredible and I wasn’t wrong. It’s powerful and inspiring. I love how these two are able to tell their own story in their own way. As someone who has ancestors who were Jewish and were in the holocaust, I’ve always found WWII an extremely interesting topic. I’ve always wanted to learn more about it and what actually happened during that time to see how I am even here today. While I still don’t know that, I love reading other people’s stories, and this one was truly incredible. I’m glad that I was able to read this and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading about WWII.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, which in no way impacts my review.

[thewoollygeek (tea, cake, crochet & books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s hard to say you enjoy a book on the holocaust or what they did to children, but I bought a physical copy of this as soon as I was able to. I have read books on Mengeles before so the fact they survived is incredible. The description of what happened to their cousin is harrowing and heartbreaking, the fact that they accepted the terrible things happening around them, the fact their mother managed to get back to see them reminding them who they were, it’s all so raw and although this happened so many years ago, I fear the way the world is we are so close to another terrible genocide happening. These accounts need to be shared and read, we need to remember and know what humans did to other humans. A harrowing , heartbreaking and sad read but ultimately uplifting , Always remember your name must be read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest

[✨Sky✨ ♏ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 stars

[Georgi 🌸 · Rating 4 out of 5]

As every other story about people surviving Auschwitz it’s unique and very painful to imagine what they went though.
However, I thought this book was very interesting as it was about two sisters which were very young(4years and 6years old) when they were in the concentration camp and miraculously survived of what was happening and still to be reunited with their parents and their aunt after all.
I also thought it was fascinating how their minds of children worked and tried to “protect themselves” from the horrors they were seeing not realising in how much danger they were or what could’ve happened to them;

[MariaWitBook · Rating 5 out of 5]

“So great is the risk of forgetting that everyday should be a Remembrance Day of the Holocaust”

[Caren]

Seventy-six years after their liberation from Auschwitz concentration camp as two of the very few children left alive, Italian sisters, Andra and Tati Bucci still wonder how and why they survived when so many others were murdered. Their memoir traces what they are able to remember about their several years of incarceration, written decades after keeping silent about their trauma. Incredibly, the girls were ultimately reunited with their parents, “years later and many countries away”. However, the family never discussed their experiences – not the mother’s concentration camp horror nor their own – not only to the outside world, but silent also to each other. “Not speaking about what had happened was, as we’ve tried to explain, a further means of protecting us…It allowed us to look forward rather than back.”

Their experiences are related from the perspective of children who began to “normalise” their incarceration and who, because of their young age, could not make further sense out of the chaos around them. This is what distinguishes this memoir from the many others I’ve read, narratives written by adults about their adult experiences in the camps, about their resilience and most often miraculous survival. With the Bucci sisters, they acknowledge that their memories regarding the camp are hazy. It is after liberation, when they are first in Poland, then sent to Czechoslovakia and finally to England to Lingfield House – that the memories become clearer and certainly happier to recall as they aged.

The translator, Ann Goldstein, makes clear that the sisters’ writing is “unadorned”, that they are not professional writers and, perhaps, that adds to the power of their story. However, although they chose to write in one voice for most of the narrative, using “we”, they referred to themselves in the 3rd person as well (Andra and Tati), but often switched to “I”, leaving me confused, unsure of whose words I was reading. The last part of the memoir deals with their work with Holocaust centres, speaking to school groups and visitors, dedicated to the continuance of awareness of the Holocaust and of their own experience. Their willingness to open up about their time in Auschwitz and its impact on their lives marked a change of attitude from their earlier years of maintaining the silence on which their mother insisted.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75⭐️

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true story about two little girls during the Holocaust taken to Auschwitz and how they survived. They share a few memories and then tell the story of their lives after the war.

[Reixma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't the sort of book that you read and say you had a fun time with it...

This is a book that is written by two sisters, Andra and Taiana Bucci, who, as children, were taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland when it was under Nazi occupation in the 1940's, because they came from Jewish families despite being raised as Catholic Christians.

Not a lot of children survived the concentration camps if they didn't go to the furnaces, so stories from the camps are very few and far between. Many of those who did survive didn'  want to remember.

The photo on the front of the book shows the sisters with one of their cousins. You can see how similar the sisters looked, so it wouldn't be a far fetch to assume they were twins, something that the Nazi doctors were fascinated by.

The sisters talk about how children were taken from the camp and later returned after being experimented on, and the trauma they had to endure. Death was not more than a few feet away...

There is no logic in treating people like this. None at all... yet some people thought (and some still do) that this was a good way to 'deal' with people.

TW: Child abuse; child experimentation; description of corpses; descriptions of human mutilation; descriptions of famine, disease, and starvation; descriptions of torture; abandonment and associated trauma; loss of family; genocide; description of the Death Marches.

[Simona · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Noi, bambine ad Auschwitz" racconta, come dice il titolo, una delle pagine più dolorose e agghiaccianti della storia, attraverso la voce di due protagoniste, ovvero le sorelle Bucci che, non si sa per quale ragione, sono sopravvissute ai campi di sterminio e le camere a gas.
Una storia che parte da Fiume, dove la loro pace viene spazzata e quasi tutta la famiglia viene deportata e giunge ad Auschwitz, dove le sorelle Bucci hanno vissuto l'orrore dei corpi ammassati come spazzatura e creduto che quella vita fosse per loro normalità, l'unico modo che hanno per avere salva la pelle.
Una storia che giunge poi a Lindberg, dopo la liberazione, dove le due sorelle assaporano la libertà e l'abbraccio con i propri cari. Oggi le sorelle Bucci sono donne, madri e nonne che sono testimoni dell'orrore e raccontano ai giovani nelle scuole la loro vita o si recano nei campi di concentramento per non dimenticare.
In seguito ai recenti fatti (vedi Liliana Segre), leggere la loro storia e testimonianza di vita aiuta a riflettere per tenere vivo il ricordo e la memoria che è "Un filo sottile, che rischia di spezzarsi. Basta un niente e nessuno ricorda più quello che è successo".