Buried Words: The Diary of Molly

by Molly Applebaum

In the fall of 1942, roundups of Jews in Dąbrowa Tarnowska, Poland, lead twelve-year-old Molly Applebaum and her cousin Helen to find refuge on a nearby farm, where their only hope for survival is to be hidden away underground ―in a box. Confined “in a grave” from 1943 to early 1945, Molly has only her older cousin and her diary to keep her company. Molly writes of the cold, dark space; the unbearable suffering from insufficient food; and the difficult, complicated reliance on two Polish farmers who are risking their own lives to save her. A unique and poignant document, Molly’s diary is a stark confession of her fears and anxieties, her despair and her secrets and, above all, her fervent wish to stay alive. Buried Words presents Molly’s extraordinary diary, never before published in English, and also the memoir she wrote in the 1990s. Molly Applebaum’s courageous words, written fifty years apart, offer a fascinating reflection on both her wartime experiences and her post-war life.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Memoir, Holocaust

184 pages, Paperback

Published May 30, 2017

Reviews

[Kelly Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read a lot of Holocaust memoirs and historical accounts of citizens in occupied countries risking their lives to shelter Jews from the Nazis but none have left me with the creepy feeling that I got from this diary & memoir. If the diary of Melania, written at age 12-14 is an accurate account of what when on then Victor was less their “saviour” and more of a pedophile with two captive victims. The hiding of Melania and her cousin Helen seemed to be more out of fear of him and his sister being discovered than of any altruistic desire to aid the Jewish girls, not to mention the afore mentioned sexual relationships with the girls. Add to that the often long periods without food or water and it seems more like luck that they survived until the end of the war. If this is all to be believed (and the introduction states that the value of a diary over a memoir is the absence of time to ponder events or forget details) then I am astounded that Yad Vashem found Victor and his sister Eugenia worthy of being named Righteous Among the Nations even though they were offered a “sanitized” version of events.
The memoir portion of this book written by Molly (formerly Melania) offers quite a different picture of the events even calling Victor and Eugenia “strong believers in God and righteousness”. And then there was whatever happened to suddenly make Melania unwelcome in her Sydney foster home.
I strongly believe that the stories of Holocaust survivors need to be preserved and remembered but like I said, this book left me with a creepy feeling, not the least of which is that the descendants of Victor and Eugenia still accept money from Molly/Melania. Luckily this was a very quick read.

[Enikő · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it—or should I say I liked both. This book actually includes, first, Molly Applebaum’s diary, written from 1942 to 1945, and, second, Molly’s memoir. Both are very interesting.
The diary is written very poetically and exposes in all honesty Molly’s feelings and the things that happen to her and her cousin Helen while hiding from the Nazis. The language of the translation seems spot on for the period. I was sometimes reminded of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s prose, although her Anne series only goes as far as the First World War, while Molly’s diary is written during the second.
Molly’s memoir, written later in her life, is very different in tone and development, and complements the diary. It follows Molly past the days of hiding to her life in Canada. Some of the problems she faces here are universal, not being limited to Holocaust survivors. In fact, some of what happened to her has also happened to me. Her take on things is insightful.

[Abby Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to read this book more than once to really process all the information in it. It was incredibly heartbreaking and it forced me to ask a lot of questions about what is right when life and death are on the line. If you choose to read this book, be prepared. It is not a very happy story, it involves sexual abuse and difficult topics.
This woman is incredible to have survived through such a horrendous time.

[gracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for my women and gender in the Holocaust class. It is a memoir and diary of Holocaust survivor Molly Applebaum. Her experiences was very powerful and her diary gave a firsthand experience of the atrocities she went through.

[Luke Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should probably read the Diary of Anne Frank at this point eh ? I've read quite abit of holocaust literature and watched Shoah, you'd think I would have done that by now. Anyway this way a good, but very sad, read