Rena's Promise: A Story of Sisters in Auschwitz [Paperback]

An expanded edition of the powerful memoir about two sisters' determination to survive during the Holocaust featuring new and never before revealed information about the first transport of women to Auschwitz

In March 1942, Rena Kornreich and 997 other young women were rounded up and forced onto the first Jewish transport of women to Auschwitz. Soon after, Rena was reunited with her sister Danka at the camp, beginning a story of love and courage that would last three years and forty-one days. From smuggling bread for their friends to narrowly escaping the ever-present threats that loomed at every turn, the compelling events inRena’s Promiseremind us that humanity and hope can survive inordinate brutality.CONTENTS

Preface to the Expanded Edition xi
Prologue xix
Chapter OneRena1
Chapter TwoTylicz8
Chapter ThreeSlovakia32
Chapter FourAuschwitz53
Chapter FiveBirkenau (Auschwitz II)91
Chapter SixStabsgebaude (Staff quarters)183
Chapter SevenNeustadt Glewe234
Epilogue 244
Acknowledgements 256
Bibliography 259
Study Guide 261 Rena’s Promiseis written with simplicity and grace. . . . The overwhelming feeling upon finishing is one of triumph: It is still possible to find selflessness and human connection among people living in a place of relentless horror. —Los Angeles Times Book Review

“A poignant and important act of remembrance.” —Sir Martin Gilbert, author ofThe Holocaust: The Human Tragedy

“An extraordinary book, vividly written and generously told. You will not easily forget Rena Kornreich and her sister Danka. Nor should you. Harrowing as it often is, this is less a tragedy than a love story. By turns soul-wrenching, inspiring, and heartbreaking, this is a tale that should live long beyond the wonderful woman who inspired it.” —Alexandra Fl32