Hanna, I Forgot to Tell You
Written by a survivor of a Nazi concentration camp, this novel is based on true stories told by people who endured the Nazi occupation of Poland during WW2. It focuses on the Warsaw ghetto and the experiences of one Jewish family, especially their teenage daughter, Malka.
Malka lives in an apartment. On the floor above lives her dear friend, Hanna. They share everything until one day Hanna has a severe toothache, and her parents set off to take her to a dentist…
Malka has experienced bombing of the city, building of the wall that created the ghetto, food shortages, humiliations. She has seen killings. Her own grandfather is severely beaten and later dies. All these plus Hanna’s disappearance lead Malka to become involved with the young smugglers who bring much-needed food supplies to the Jewish ghetto.
Her knowledge of subterranean tunnels and sewers serves her well when her escape from the ghetto is planned. She is taken to the much safer non-Jewish part of the city and is taken in by a Christian family. She acquires the identity of Kasia, fully aware that her presence is dangerous for the whole family but still tries to play a small part in the Resistance. This is a story much needed to spread the story of the Warsaw ghetto and the heroism of its people. The tension and pacing keep the reader involved, and one is led to a deeper emotional connection by the deep feelings of the author.
While the book has a few structural issues, they only occasionally distract from a deeply engrossing story told with compassion and an appreciation of the deeper values underpinning the tale. The author never loses sight of the importance of love, trust and reverence for the value of life: the bases for survival.
