An amazingly written story from daughter to mother. Inspiring to read what this young woman lived through and survived. Reading this book will make you a more greatful person.

This is one of the most compelling books I’ve read in years; in fact I stayed up an entire night so fascinated and intrigued by one woman’s story! I am recommending this book to everyone I know. Tema Merback is a brilliant writer and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Tema is a wonderful storyteller of her mother's life and her experiences during the holocust. I felt her passion as she tells the story of survival and hardship as a young woman growing up in the most difficult years of her life. I look forward her next book!

Tema Merback has related her mother's epic tale of survival against all odds. Dina's very personal story is heartbreaking, inspiring and ultimately a story of triumph. It was hard to put the book down. I found myself constantly asking if I would have been as strong while facing such evil. I highly recommend this particularly for young people who need to understand the horrors of what happened to many innocent people not so very long ago.

This book is simply the best story of someone who lived through the holocaust I have ever read. The story follows a young girl and her family through the Second World War in Poland. You really get a good look and feel of the traditions of the Jewish people since she describes everything as though you are right there with them. This also makes you feel connected to everyone in the family...immediate and extended.

Another thing that I liked about the book is that it didn't linger too much on one single thing. She gets a lot covered in this book because she keeps moving on to the next thing that happened. Even though the book still covers horrific and very graphic things, I felt I had the sense of "moving on" and small chapters helped in this as you have a "stopping place" if you want to put the book down and pick up fresh with the next chapter.

There are grammatical errors throughout the book and I'm not sure if they were left on purpose or not...but for me, it really gave a feel of "English as a second language" and wasn't bothered by it at all.

I read the Kindle version of this book and actually found it easier to type the footnotes out so I would have them right in front of me as I read. With my older Kindle, it was a little hard to go back and forth so much and save where I had left off. With my new Kindle Fire, there would have been no problem as you can bookmark and go back MUCH easier! The paper copies have the footnotes listed in the back of the book and can be easily referred to.

All in All -- five stars, hands down.

The book began a little more slowly than I tend to like and I initially put it down and didn't think I would return to it. My bookclub sisters convinced me it was worth resuming and I am so glad that I did. The story is exciting, heartbreaking, and triumphant. It tells the story of an incredible tragedy, yet manages to find some silver linings along the way. Definitely worth reading, keeping, and lending to friends and family.

This book is not just another Holocost book. Written by the daughter of a survivor, it is a loving and insightful tribute to an amazing woman's struggle to survive and prevail over her experiences in HItler's Germany. Full of compassion and insight, it is first of all a story that takes the reader into the heart of the Jewish community that was so vibrant before the war. Descending into evil and darkness, this story moves through the terror of Hitler's regime and arrives at the light of post war life in America. This is a must read for all who want to understand the worst chapter of the twentieth century.

This is a terrible book - terrible in its naked account of one of the survivors of German death camps. The author is daughter of the survivor and writes in the first person of her mother in her early teens, reliving her release from Bergen-Belsen and Auschwitz following Nazi occupation of Poland. I have not read "The Diary of Anne Frank" but I cannot imagine much worse. Through a remarkable series of good fortune and help from others, Ms. Balbien chronicles her trip through hell and subsequent immigration to America. It is both terrifying and heart warming. Not a book for the faint of heart, this is a compelling history of a remarkable woman.

This book was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.