The illustrations are beautifully detailed, capturing the progression of life in a small Polish village before, during, and after war. Accompanying text provides historical context, and I learned a great deal in addition to enjoying the book aesthetically. As a person with Polish heritage, I found it powerful to get a sense of some of the experiences members of my family experienced, and felt a connection to the people depicted in this memoir.

This was easy to read in a few given the sensitivity of the Holocaust, the autrocity and cruelty at the hands of Nazis and anyone who was lucky to survive; it was kess than 150 pages to read.

I enjoyed all the photos and the personal analysis by Fluek about the details of each. Some photos were inspirational. Some were heartbreaking but also hopeful.

I was really appreciative to read another personal account of survival during such a horrendoud time in world history. That is why memors and accounts like this, brief or comprehensive are so important to share. It still bogles my mind that there are people on this planet that think the Holocaust is a hoax or a conspiracy theory. SMH.

A recommended read.

Thanks to Toby Knoble Fluek and The Experiment LLC for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 5/6/2024

Heartfelt and detailed illustrations bring to life the smallest moments in a child's life as she first lives in a tiny village, then is forcibly moved to a Jewish ghetto, and eventually flees to hide in the wilderness until finally being reunited with the few in her family who remain alive after the war is over. I've always loved looking inside daily life in other time periods. This book is filled with gems like the fact that her mother made the bread for each week all at once, and therefore kneaded the dough in a huge pot (that's a lot of dough!). Or how a pot that could no longer be repaired would have its hole plugged with a scrap of cloth pulled through, and find a second life as a storage container. The illustrations of life in the village could be illustrating the lives of her ancestors a hundred years earlier. It's a shock as you follow her from there into the terrible realities of the war and its brutality. The story is ultimately one of resilience. It's also an incredibly important documentation of a way of life that no longer exists. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC for unbiased review.