Do Not Cry When I Die by Renee Salt (Holocaust survivor) and writer/journalist Kate Thompson is one of the most moving, heart crushing, nauseating, disturbing and powerful Holocaust books I have read. But it is also a story about courage, the intensity and selflessness of a mother's love, It shook me to the core and I cried several times reading it and after. The photographs are bittersweet and gut wrenching.

Renee was ten when the Germans invaded Poland. She and her family were forced from their happy comfortable lives into poverty overnight simply as they were Jews. They had been accustomed to excellent food, also symbolic, and suddenly had nothing, no personal belongings, and suffered under extreme conditions including burning furniture for fuel. But the family was one of unconditional love and support.

Forced by inhumane cattle cars to even worse Auschwitz and then hellish Bergen-Belsen, life was barely existing. Renee's parents saved her life, physically and mentally. Renee credits God for many miracles such as her father's ring, changing her date of birth, and switching queues. Renee knew she had to live and tell her story. It was unusual for a mother to be with her daughter at killing camps but Sala saved Renee over and over. They had nothing but they had each other and their faith which was everything. Liberation unfortunately came too late for Sala. Renee miraculously survived hell on earth for years when average mortality was measured in weeks. The man Renee married was one of her liberators! She had to live in Displaced Persons Camps and encountered antisemitism in her home town.

Renee is now 95 and has done a lot of speaking, joined survivor organizations and support grou9s and has revisited concentration camps, She met Prince William, too. If there was ever anyone I would be honored to meet, it would be Renee. We have much to learn about life from her. Her fortitude, attitude, courage and strength fill me with deep respect.

It is impossible to convey my feelings about this emotionally-charged book. I'm still reeling days after and filled with anger at the despicable crimes committed against Jews and many "imperfect" human beings by evil in human shape. My heart aches for the millions of innocent people who were degraded, dehumanized, demoralized, humiliated, tortured, starved (eating "soup" without bowls and cutlery), worked to death, discarded in deep feces, tormented by vermin and disease, identities erased, experimented on, forced to stand outside for hours of roll calls, watched other walking skeletons die, cannibalism, heard the screams and could only guess where family members might be. But knowing that PEOPLE (I use that loosely) perpetrated this deliberately while laughing, mocking and gleaning joy from human suffering is beyond the pale. The likes of Irma Grese and Dr. Mengele were there at the time. A Nazi kindness which stands out is the guard who gave Evelyn life-saving small green apples.

My sincere thank you to Alcove Press and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this phenomenally important book which I will never forget. It changed me.

Do Not Cry When I Die is such a powerful and moving account of the life of Renee Salt, a Holocaust survivor who survived not just the liquidation of the Polish ghetto she was forced to live in during World War II, but two concentration camps as well. Renee’s story is so heartbreaking and difficult to read at times. I found myself often pausing and taking a moment for myself to process what I was reading as it simply astounded me to read about the depths of human evil and cruelty and all the terrible events that happened to Renee and her family at the hand of the Nazis. Renee’s relationship with her mother is at the center of the book as she and Renee came to rely on each other through all the terrible conditions they faced during the war; her mother was all Renee had and was a source of immense comfort and strength for her. It was so heartbreaking to read about the fate of Renee’s family and all of the trauma she was forced to deal with as a result of the Holocaust. This memoir is so moving and should be required reading for everyone in order to educate others about everything that was lost during the Holocaust, as well as how we can learn from the events that occurred as a result of virulent antisemitism. I also appreciate the third person point of view from Kate Thompson that is featured throughout the book as I feel like it added more to the context of the historical events described in the memoir.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a heartbreaking read about the holocaust, yet there is redemption from it, Do Not Cry When I Die – A Holocaust Memoir of a Mother and Daughter’s Survival In Jewish Ghettos, Auschwitz, and Bergen-Belsen by Renee Salt and Kate Thompson. I think this should be required reading for teenagers and up to remind us of the horrors and evil that happened when Hilter was in control. We can learn a lot from history!

Renee Salt, who is 95 currently, has lived to tell her story to Kate Thompson, who put it into words for us to read. Renee was 11 at the time she was forced to enter into the ghettos with her family and moved to several different concentration camps over five years of captivity. It is a miracle she survived the five years of mistreatment. Her family didn’t survive, her sister was killed, her mother died a few days after they were freed, and she didn’t find out about her father until 80 years later that he died of starvation and/or disease at a concentration camp. She shares about the years she was help as a prisoner by the Nazi’s, her family, those she met along the way, and her journey after being freed.

Renee could have given up hope, and for a brief time did, as she thought she would die, but it was her mother and her prayers that kept her going, even years after being freed. This book describes the horrible conditions and treatment the Jews received. This is one of the more detailed books I have read on this subject. At times, it was hard to read. However, years later, she was able to get involved in sharing her story and working with several organizations and museums to preserve the history and provide memorials for those that died under the Nazi regime. She has shared her testimony over hundreds of times from school-aged children to Queen Elizabeth.

Kate Thompson who shared her story, also did her research to fill in the time frame and history of what was taking place at the time Renee was a prisoner, since she didn’t have access to know what was happening at the different concentration camps and to the Jewish people while she was captive.

“Do not cry when I die.” These are the last words her mother spoke to Renee on her death bed. She didn’t want her to be sad. She wanted her to continue and be strong. That is what Renee has done. Thank you, Renee, for sharing your story and your faith!

This is a very honest account of being Jewish, in Poland in during the Nazi occupation.

This makes it very tough reading. Through Renee’s narrative we can feel the bewilderment, her confusion and the disgust at how the general populace appeared to turn the other way.
Do Not Cry When I die is also about redemption, and possibly forgiveness. Finally, Renee comes to terms with her past and uses her experiences to teach other people, new generations born since the war, the truth about what happened.

It makes unusual reading as there is a co-writer so suddenly the narrative will go from first person to third person, as the co-writer comes in to give you a background. This adds to the atmosphere though as it feels that Renee is telling you directly what she remembers, and the third person narrative is giving you a background flavour. Just like you are in the room with them.
This is a memoir that stays with you long after you have finished it.

How about crying the whole time I was reading this??!! Anyone else? This book is heartbreaking, profound and perfection. I will definitely be recommending this book to everyone!!

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley

I appreciated the author sharing their story in a dark time, it really made you think about what was going on in the Holocaust. It was written well and appreciated the story being told.