Holden, Wendy

Among the millions of Holocaust victims sent to Auschwitz II-Birkenau in 1944, Priska, Rachel, and Anka each pass through its infamous gates with a secret. Strangers to one another, they are newly pregnant, and facing an uncertain fate without their husbands. Alone, scared, and with so many loved ones already lost to the Nazis, these young women are privately determined to hold on to all they have left: their lives and those of their unborn babies. That the gas chambers ran out of Zyklon B just after the babies were born, before they and their mothers could be exterminated, is just one of several miracles that allowed them all to survive and rebuild their lives after World War II. Born Survivors follows the mothers' incredible journey--first to Auschwitz, where they each came under the murderous scrutiny of Dr. Josef Mengele; then to a German slave-labor camp, where, half-starved and almost worked to death, they struggled to conceal their condition; and, finally, as the Allies closed in, their hellish seventeen-day train journey with thousands of other prisoners to the Mauthausen death camp in Austria. Biographer Wendy Holden details the courage and kindness of strangers, including guards and civilians, which helped save these women and their children. Sixty-five years later, the three "miracle babies" meet for the first time at Mauthausen for the anniversary of the American liberation. United by their remarkable experiences of survival against all odds, they come to consider each other "siblings of the heart." In Born Survivors, Holden brings all three stories together for the first time, to mark their seventieth birthdays and the seventieth anniversary of the ending of the war. A heart-stopping account of how three mothers and their newborns fought to survive the Holocaust, Born Survivors is also a life-affirming celebration of our capacity to care and love amid inconceivable cruelty.

three young mothers and their extraordinary story of courage, defiance, and hope

Born survivors

"#1 International Bestseller When Owen met Haatchi, the lives of one adorable little boy and one great, big dog were destined to change forever. Owen--known to his family as "little buddy" or "Little B"--has a rare genetic disorder that leaves him largely confined to a wheelchair. Before being united with Haatchi, Little B was anxious and found it difficult to make friends. Haatchi--an adorable Anatolian Shepherd puppy--was abused and left for dead on railroad tracks. He was struck by an oncoming train, and although his life was saved, his leg and tail were partially severed. Haatchi was left massively disabled and totally dispirited. But kind-hearted Will and Colleen Howkins, Little B's father and step-mother, decided to introduce the big dog and the little boy to each other, and an unbelievable bond was formed that transformed both boy and dog in miraculous ways. Haatchi &Little B is the true story of an astonishing little boy, a very special dog, and the inspiring, inseparable pair that they make together. "--

"This book tells the amazing true story of one astonishing little boy and the very special dog who has changed his life forever. On a bitterly cold night in January 2012, Haatchi the dog was hit over the head and abandoned on a railway line in London, England, to be hit by a train. Somehow, the puppy survived the blood loss from his partially severed leg and rear tail and managed to crawl away to safety. Fortunately, Haatchi was rescued, although vets couldn't save his leg and tail. He came to the attention of Colleen Drummond and Will Howkins, who aren't just kind-hearted dog-lovers. They are also the dad and stepmother of Owen (known to his family as Little B for 'little buddy'). Owen, now aged eight, has an extremely rare genetic disorder which causes his muscles to permanently tense. Largely confined to a wheelchair, Owen was withdrawn and anxious and found it difficult to make friends. But when the little boy awoke the morning after Haatchi arrived, he immediately fell in love with the severely disabled rescue animal who would, in turn, rescue him"--

the inspiring true story of one boy and his dog

Haatchi & Little B

Miljoonien keskitysleirille lähetettyjen ihmisten tavoin kolme toisilleen tuntematonta naista, Priska, Rachel ja Anka, kulkivat Auschwitz-Birkenaun portista täynnä pelkoa vuonna 1944. Heillä oli pelkoonsa vielä tavallistakin suurempi syy, sillä heistä jokaisella oli salaisuus, jonka paljastuminen olisi merkinnyt välitöntä kuolemaa. He olivat raskaana.Kaikki kolme olivat jo menettäneet lähes kaiken, eikä tulevaisuus luvannut hyvää, mutta heistä jokainen oli päättänyt kaikin keinoin suojella syntymättömän lapsensa elämää.Kirja seuraa kolmen naisen uskomatonta matkaa äitiyteen. Tuo matka vei ensin Auschwitziin orjatyöhön, jossa he nälkiintyneinä ja puolikuolleina uupumuksesta onnistuivat kuin ihmeen kaupalla salaamaan tilansa.Liittoutuneiden joukkojen lähestyessä saksalaiset lähettivät heidät tuhansien muiden vankien kanssa Mauthausenin kuolemanleirille Itävaltaan. Seurasi 17 päivän helvetillinen junamatka, jonka aikana satoja vankeja kuoli. Monen tuntemattoman ihmisen rohkeuden ja hyväsydämisyyden ansiosta Priska, Rachel ja Anka ja heidän lapsensa kuitenkin pelastuivat. [Elib].

Holden, Wendy

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