Holocaust story remembers victims and helpers

Writer Jenny Harrison says she felt, 'all spent' after having finished a book about the survival of Polish Jews and the Gentiles who helped them, during Adolf Hitler's rein of savagery, known as the Holocaust.

Harrison tells a poignant story about a man's survival from what is probably one of the most horrific eras of our time.

She does justice to these victims, as she takes readers through the journey of the survivor's grandmother, mother, father and three siblings, as the events of their life of living under the uncertainty and then the eventual terror of Hitler's regime unfolds.

Her huge amount of research, which she puts into perspective of that time, makes this account of the Holocaust, hard to put down and you cannot help but be 'affected' by it.

A thoroughly absorbing, touching and enthralling view, which leaves the reader with the feeling, this time in history must never be forgotten and justice done for those innocents who perished.   



Out of Poland – when the best revenge is to have survived

By Jenny Harrison

Synopsis:

For decades the leather suitcase lay hidden under the house.

When opened, it revealed letters, photographs and documents, all in Polish and therefore inaccessible.

Many years later one letter, written in 1946, was translated and the awful truth revealed.
The letters and documents told the story of one family who had lived in a small Polish village until the Germans came. 

One son escaped and arrived in New Zealand where he made a life for himself, not knowing he had left his entire family to perish in the gas chambers.

It is also the story of the beautiful daughter who could have been saved but chose to go with her parents to the gas chamber so that they didn't have to face it alone.

It is the story of love and loyalty, of the betrayal of trust and of compassion. It is also the story of the worst crime in our history and how it brought out the best in some people - but also the worst.

Jenny says: "I met one of the descendants in about 2001, he told me of the suitcase that had been hidden under their childhood house and only recently recovered.

I asked the family if I might investigate and see if it was possible to write a book about it.

The letters needed to be translated and a good friend, Eva Sherer, came to my rescue. It was a gruelling journey for her too, reading those letters, as her Gentile family also had a bleak history in Poland; the 'dark' land, where so many, both Jews and Gentiles, had perished.

I only became aware of the tension between Polish Jews and Gentiles through my research and my conversations with the family. As I discovered that many Polish Gentiles rescued Jews during the Holocaust, so my standing with the family deteriorated. This was not what they had been told."

It has been a long and difficult journey for Harrison.

"I feel privileged that, of all the millions of anonymous victims of Hitler, I have been able to get to know and cherish this one family. By remembering them I can honour all those who will forever remain anonymous."

Available in book stores and on Amazon.

NOTE: The family's names have been left out for legal reasons.

Other reviews:

Michelle: I've just finished your book. I'm awed, humbled, inspired, chastened. What a remarkable, heart-filled, well researched, powerful, sensitive, beautiful work of compassion!
I don't want to muddy the waters with too many words; but I want you to know that I think it's one of the best books I've ever read. What a gift you've crafted for so many people, Jenny! Wow. ❤️
Ann R: Now I understand why this was such a difficult book for you to write. You have told the family's story with integrity, humblness and truth. Not a pretty story due to the topic, but one that has helped me to understand the plight of the Jewish community in Poland more fully. You have done an amazing job getting this book to print - a tragic story told beautifully. Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down. I hope many, many people read it. Thank you for sharing this story.
Bev R: Well done on a powerful and impeccably research piece of work! The historical facts are dramatic by the present day effects are equally riveting as you go through the process of writing and dealing with the family. Great human interest. It stands as a strong testament to the lost souls who need to be remembered. You’ve been deeply respectful of the family and they should be proud of your work.
Brenda: Culture, fiction and fact collide as Jenny Harrison takes us on an emotional journey as she sensitively tells the story of one man, family, city and country caught in unspeakable events that precipitated WWII. Part detective story, she draws together fragmented and scanty evidence found in a hidden suitcase, symbolic of a family torn apart. Speaking  her truth quietly, Jenny shows that speaking of the unspeakable is an essential first step in healing of deep emotional wounds.
Amazon Customer:  Superb! Brilliant book that opened my eyes and showed me things I never even considered. Very well written!
John R:  Well written and well researched on relations of Jews and Poles over centuries
Ken J: The book to say the least is so interesting I could not put it down. I gave it to a friend whose grandfather was German and had, I think, relatives in Poland and he found it the same, so enthralling.
Gavin: This is a fascinating, well researched and well written story that draws you in and makes you want to keep reading into the early hours of the morning to see how the lives of the family will unfold. This is a story of (name), his family but also a story of the author's research and interaction with the family. A riveting read that I couldn't put down till the last page was turned.