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Born Survivors

Three Young Mothers and Their Extraordinary Story of Courage, Defiance, and Hope

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1 of 1 copy available

The Nazis murdered their husbands but concentration camp prisoners Priska, Rachel, and Anka would not let evil take their unborn children too—a remarkable true story that will appeal to readers of The Lost and The Nazi Officer's Wife, Born Survivors celebrates three mothers who defied death to give their children life.

Eastern Europe, 1944: Three women believe they are pregnant, but are torn from their husbands before they can be certain. Rachel is sent to Auschwitz, unaware that her husband has been shot. Priska and her husband travel there together, but are immediately separated. Also at Auschwitz, Anka hopes in vain to be reunited with her husband. With the rest of their families gassed, these young wives are determined to hold on to all they have left—their lives, and those of their unborn babies. Having concealed their condition from infamous Nazi doctor Josef Mengele, they are forced to work and almost starved to death, living in daily fear of their pregnancies being detected by the SS.

In April 1945, as the Allies close in, Priska gives birth. She and her baby, along with Anka, Rachel, and the remaining inmates, are sent to Mauthausen concentration camp on a hellish seventeen-day train journey. Rachel gives birth on the train, and Anka at the camp gates. All believe they will die, but then a miracle occurs. The gas chamber runs out of Zyklon-B, and as the Allied troops near, the SS flee. Against all odds, the three mothers and their newborns survive their treacherous journey to freedom.

On the seventieth anniversary of Mauthausen's liberation from the Nazis by American soldiers, renowned biographer Wendy Holden recounts this extraordinary story of three children united by their mothers' unbelievable—yet ultimately successful—fight for survival.

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    • Library Journal

      May 1, 2015

      Holden (coauthor, Behind Enemy Lines: The True Story of a French Jewish Spy in Nazi Germany) deftly weaves together the stories of three women--Priska, Rachel, and Anka--whose children were born in Nazi concentration camps during the last chaotic weeks of World War II. The author's analysis of each woman's experiences prior to 1939, the fate of their extended families under Nazi occupation, and the circumstances of their children's birth provide valuable insight into the stark choices faced by Jews during the Holocaust. The children, Eva, Mark, and Hana--among the youngest survivors of the Shoah--finally met at an event celebrating the 70th anniversary of liberation. Holden's use of the imagery of doctor Mengele inspecting the women during their arrival at Auschwitz makes for dramatic reading but is problematic. Mengele did not inspect all arrivals, and few knew who he was when they arrived, causing the reader to suspect that the story is a postwar construct. While Holden is strong on the personal details of the women's lives, and the fate of their family members, the wider historical context is sometimes thin. VERDICT Despite minor problems, this book is recommended for a wide audience and all libraries.--Frederic Krome, Univ. of Cincinnati Clermont Coll.

      Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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  • English

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