Krysia

In the aftermath of the German and Soviet invasions and division of Poland, more than 1.5 million people were deported from their homes in Eastern Poland to remote parts of Russia. Those who made it out of Russia alive were lucky—and nine-year-old Krystyna Mihulka, called Krysia, was among them. In this childhood memoir, Mihulka (now in her 80s) tells the story of her family’s deportation, under cover of darkness and at gunpoint, by the Soviets, and their subsequent two years as prisoners on a Soviet communal farm in Kazakhstan. Although they lived in deplorable conditions, endured starvation and illness, and witnessed death, Krysia also describes moments of tenderness, hope, and even small celebrations while in captivity, and how her mother’s strength, courage, and kindness saw her and her brother through until they finally found freedom.