RENA'S PROMISE

A Story of Sisters in Auschwitz   (LWH)

by Heather Dune Macadam
Co-author of Rena's Promise

This is one of those book you don’t just read it….it becomes a part of you!
I was very touched by the memoirs of Rena and her story of surviving the Nazi concentration camps with her sister, Danka.

Until I read this book I wasn’t aware that this year, 26 March 2012, marks the 70^th Anniversary of the first transport to Auschwitz concentration camp. That first transport in 1942 was almost entirely young women between the ages of 16 and 22. Among those 999 young Jewish women was #1716, Rena Kornreich, a 21yr old Polish Jew hiding in Slovakia. A few days later, her sister Danka #2779 arrived. This began a trial of love and courage that would last 3 years and 41 days, from the beginning of their journey in Auschwitz, to the death march through the snow, and on to the end of the war. Her motivation to keep her and her sister alive no matter what happened came from a promise to her parents to keep her younger sister safe. Her visions of her mother helped her through the most difficult times.

I also wasn’t aware that women's accounts of the Holocaust are rare, and until ‘Rena's Promise’, there has been no other book written by a survivor from the first transport of women, mainly because not many women survived. And for that reason alone she is historically important. Her details of events are confirmed in many archival documents and plans. There are many more testimonies published from male survivors than women's accounts, yet the fact remains that the first transport was not men but girls on the verge of womanhood. They were targeted by the Nazis as they wanted to stop the continuity of Jewish life.

THE HAPPIEST REFUEE

by Anh Do

This was a fantastic read. Anh Do, a well known comedian, tells of his life coming to Australia from a war-torn Vietnam, on a boat, along with his family. The journey was filled with danger from drifting at sea with a broken motor, to being raided by pirates, this book is sure to thrill you and at times amaze you.

Anh has a real commitment to his family and this story tells what is was like for him and his family to arrive as refugees with nothing, to completing school, then working hard to make a new life in Australia.

I really loved having a glimpse into his life story, through his hardships and triumphs. The photos were wonderful - I'm glad he included so many. I would recommend this great book to anyone. It just shows what you can accomplish with a lot of hard work. I loved how his mum would always say to give back to this country because it had given them so much. This book has won many awards and rightly so.

MUD, SWEAT & TEARS

MUD, SWEAT & TEARS by Bear Grylls     (LWH)

I'm not a huge fan of Bear Grylls (although I did watch the TV series and know I WON'T be able to survive if lost because I WONT EAT those crazy things he does!) however, I was interested in reading his autobiography to see the man behind the TV series.
 It was an interesting read. Telling of life growing up in Wales, his love of adventure from an early age, his training in the SAS and surviving an accident which broke his back and almost caused him to never walk again. Climbing Mt Everest may have been his greatest challenge but being the ambassador for Scouts is his proudest and most rewarding. This was a good read which I downloaded onto my Kindle. When my eyes got a little weary of reading I would set the Kindle to 'Text to Speech' and listened to the story. (Love the flexibility of my new Kindle!)

LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS

LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS by Nick Vujicic      (LWH)

Wow! What an amazing man. Born without arms or legs Nick Vujicic is an inspiration to people all over the world. He travels the world as a motivational speaker and if anyone can inspire you to do more it's Nick. His book tells of his life growing up and all the emotions and struggles he went through as a child, going to school, getting bullied, insecurities and then as a man facing day to day struggles, lonliness and even touches very honestly about dark periods in his life. He has a real zest for life and doesn't say 'no, I can't do that' but just gets going and faces his challenges head on.

An amazing Australian, now living in USA, Nick has a strong faith and believes it is his purpose to encourages everyone to find their purpose in life, overcoming any obstacles. I read this at a time I needed some uplifting and each chapter seemed to have at least one line that stood out to me and challenged me to face my fears and move on past them. (Go to the INSPIRATIONAL tab on this blog to watch a video of Nick in action)