One story that so beautifully portrays this message is in the book I just finished reading. Sala's Gift is the story of a young girl, who volunteers to go to the work camp, in Poland, in the place of her sister. This is an unusual Holocaust story, in that Sala spent no time in the death camps, of the Nazi war machine. She spent all of her time in the work projects, mostly that worked on the German Autobahn. Her unique personality, and independence gave her the tools that were necessary to survive. And when her own strengths failed her, she would fall back on the letters that she received from her friends, and family, during the time she was interred.
There are certainly some heartbreaking moments found in this book, as letters from people she knew, and loved became fewer, and fewer, until they finally ceased to come all together. It wasn't until the end of the war that Sala finally realized the magnitude of what those ominous silences meant -- and the true extent of her losses became a reality.
But this is also a unique story of the love, and the strength of relationships and between family members, and friends -- and what a critical role those relationships played, in the survival of those who managed to get through. The beauty of this story cannot be overshadowed by the horrors that were going on around Sala, in one of the darkest chapters of human history. And through the letters she went to great lengths to preserve, the voices of Sala, and those closest to her will never be silenced. They will outlive the horrible plan that the Nazi's devised for them. Their lives will forever carry on in the memories of those that read their heritage -- while the fates of the Nazi's fade into the minutia of history.
But this is also a unique story of the love, and the strength of relationships and between family members, and friends -- and what a critical role those relationships played, in the survival of those who managed to get through. The beauty of this story cannot be overshadowed by the horrors that were going on around Sala, in one of the darkest chapters of human history. And through the letters she went to great lengths to preserve, the voices of Sala, and those closest to her will never be silenced. They will outlive the horrible plan that the Nazi's devised for them. Their lives will forever carry on in the memories of those that read their heritage -- while the fates of the Nazi's fade into the minutia of history.
This is a book that I can't recommend enough. So much strength and goodness have survived through this story. It is an amazing book to read, and one that I would love to share with everyone.
Thanks, Lisa, for your beautiful words. My mother and I appreciate them!
ReplyDeleteAnn Kirschner, author of Sala's Gift