In the Shadow of Death: A Young Girl's Survival In the Holocaust

by Miriam Kominkowska Greenstein

In 1939 Miriam Kominkowska was nine years old, living happily with her loving family in the small town of Lubraniec. Then, on September 1st, the Nazis invaded Poland. In the Shadow of Death is the story of young Miriam's resilience and fierce determination to live, as she experienced the terrible devastation of the Lodz ghetto, endured the loss of her family, and survived the grim horrors of Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen.

Miriam arrived in America not long after her liberation in 1945. Over the next sixty-five years she built a rich and rewarding new life in her adopted country, rarely mentioning the events in her past. Eventually she joined the speakers bureau of the Oregon Holocaust Resource Center and began speaking out against prejudice and hatred. In 1998 she and a small group of fellow survivors traveled back to Poland and the killing camps, gathering soil and ash to consecrate the Oregon Holocaust Memorial. Miriam's memoir of survival is interspersed with her narrative of that return journey to the painful landscapes of her youth.

179 pages, Paperback

Reviews

[Sara Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was honestly such a good book. So much detail and it was honestly such an amazing read

[Terri Serviss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very engaging take on a young girl's experiences during WWII. Why she wrote the book is interesting as well.

[hoke.ginny Hoke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written memoir, weaving together memories of Miriam's enchanting Polish childhood and the stark reality of her Holocaust experiences with her life after liberation and her trip back to the places she once knew.