My Survival: A Girl on Schindler's List
by Joshua M Greene (Author)
The astonishing true story of a girl who survived the Holocaust thanks to Oskar Schindler, of Schindler's List fame.
Rena Finder was only eleven when the Nazis forced her and her family -- along with all the other Jewish families -- into the ghetto in Krakow, Poland. Rena worked as a slave laborer with scarcely any food and watched as friends and family were sent away.
Then Rena and her mother ended up working for Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who employed Jewish prisoners in his factory and kept them fed and healthy. But Rena's nightmares were not over. She and her mother were deported to the concentration camp Auschwitz. With great cunning, it was Schindler who set out to help them escape.
Here in her own words is Rena's gripping story of survival, perseverance, tragedy, and hope. Including pictures from Rena's personal collection and from the time period, this unforgettable memoir introduces young readers to an astounding and necessary piece of history.
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School Library Journal
Gr 5-8—Rena Finder, a 90-year-old Holocaust survivor, challenges readers to "stand up for the innocent" in her remarkable memoir. The beloved daughter of a medical supply salesman in Poland, Rena spent her early years surrounded by her close-knit extended family. In 1939, the German army invaded Poland. Conditions for Rena and her family quickly deteriorated as the Nazis placed increasing restrictions on members of the Jewish community, eventually sending them to the Krakow ghetto. Finder credits her wartime survival to Oskar Schindler, a businessman and member of the Nazi party, who was later immortalized in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List. Despite his political affiliation, Schindler went to great lengths to protect Jewish workers at his factories. Finder openly depicts the horror of genocide: her grandparents being shot by the Nazis, the chilling murder of children at a Krakow orphanage, and the reality of the gas chambers at Auschwitz. The book is a quick read and has a significant amount of action. It will be an easy sell to reluctant readers, particularly because of the slim size. Family photographs unearthed from Finder's childhood attic at the end of the war are included in the book. VERDICT A good purchase for all libraries. An important reminder about the Holocaust, especially for reluctant readers or children with an interest in World War II literature.—Jennifer Knight, North Olympic Library System, Port Angeles, WA
Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Rena Finder was born in Krakow, Poland, and survived the Holocaust. Following the war, Rena moved to the United States with her husband, where she raised a family. Rena has dedicated herself to teaching about history's darkest hour and about the need to always speak out against injustice. She has shared her story with schools, colleges, and synagogues over the years, and she is a founding survivor of Facing History and Ourselves.
JNF025070 - Juvenile Nonfiction | History | Europe
JNF025130 - Juvenile Nonfiction | History | Military & Wars
JNF025090 - Juvenile Nonfiction | History | Holocaust
Jews
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
Jewish children in the Holocaust
Rescue
Autobiographies
Poland
Holocaust survivors
Krakaow
Schindler, Oskar
Auschwitz (Concentration camp)
Krakaow (Poland)
Finder, Rena
