I have noticed that there hasn’t been that much discussion on this optional discussion forum. I know everyone is swamped with the end of the school year, and many may not have had time to read Olga’s memoir. I have read the memoir a number of times now because it is one of the texts I use in my course “Examining the Holocaust Through Literature”…[Read more]

So, in all honesty, it has taken me a while to figure out exactly what I wanted to write about for this posting. I finished reading Sondra’s book and many of your postings last week and have been doing a lot of “wool gathering” as my husband calls it, trying to decide what exactly I have wanted to share. After a significant amount of reflection on…[Read more]

So, as I begin the journey of reading the memoir and have read many of your reflections here, I am struck by two things in particular. First, I so appreciate the candor with which the memoir is written. Sondra’s honesty about her struggles, feelings, and observations have completely drawn me into her story. I find myself wondering, “What would I d…[Read more]

Jennifer,
It is shocking, isn’t it? Olga’s way of telling the story is also very compelling, I believe, as she juxtaposes the life she had and her last glimpses of it (through the description of the fairytale forest) with the horrors of the arrival at Auschwitz. I believe it masterfully puts each reader into her shoes and how unreal it all was.…[Read more]

So, interestingly, this is one of the pieces that I teach in my Examining the Holocaust Through Literature class. I have so much to say about this memoir, and the discussions in class are always so intense. I have taught the book twice now, and read it four times. I can say this…my students connect very deeply with Olga’s story and are truly…[Read more]