Product Description
A young readers edition of the bestselling book from Auschwitz survivor Hedi Fried that answers questions about the Holocaust with sensitivity and candour.
‘Something like what Anne Frank might have written had she survived … Timeless lessons taught with simple eloquence.’ Kirkus Reviews
Hedi Fried was nineteen when the Nazis arrested her family and transported them to Auschwitz, where her parents were murdered and she and her sister were forced into hard labour. Now ninety-nine, she has devoted her life to educating young people about the Holocaust and answering their questions. This new edition of her bestselling book is perfect for readers aged 10-17. This is a deeply human book for people of all ages that urges us never to forget and never to repeat.
-The perfect conversation starter for educators to teach young people about the reality of the Holocaust from lived experience.
-Wonderful companion piece to Art Speigelman’s Maus.
-In the wake of recent reports that a shocking proportion of young people in the US know little to nothing about the Holocaust, alongside a concerning new wave of antisemitism in the US and Europe, this deeply personal firsthand account is especially timely.
About the Authors
Hedi Fried (1924-2022) was an author and psychologist. She was deeply committed to working for democratic values and against racism. She was born in the town of Sighet, in Romania, was transported to Auschwitz in 1944, and worked in several labour camps, eventually ending up in Bergen-Belsen. After liberation, she moved to Sweden with her sister. Her bestselling autobiography, Fragments of a Life- the road to Auschwitz, was published in English and Swedish in the 1990s.
Alice E. Olsson is a literary translator, writer, and editor working across Swedish and English. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Comparative Literature at University College London, specialising in literature and human rights.
Industry reviews
‘It is the telling detail that gives her testimony its particular power … This little book, with its reminder “there are no stupid questions, nor any forbidden ones, but there are some … that have no answer”, is a moving record of one woman’s experience.’ -Nick Rennison, The Sunday Times
‘Fried was 19 when she and her family were sent from Hungary to Auschwitz. Her parents were murdered, but she and her sister survived. They both made a home in Sweden and, ever since, Fried, now 98, has talked to students about her experiences. This slim but powerful volume, sensitively translated by Alice Olsson, comprises answers to the questions she is most frequently asked, such as- “Why did you not fight back?” and “What helped you to survive?”, “Are you able to forgive?” Fried answers with humanity, candour and thoughtfulness in a book that should be required reading for all young people.’ -Hannah Beckerman, The Guardian
‘Now 98, Fried’s largeness of spirit emanates from every considered response to even the most confronting questions asked of her. One senses that her replies are not only educative but therapeutic, especially for young people grappling with their own questions about the meaning of life. While most of her experiences of this period are inescapably dark, there were moments of light that assumed enormous significance.’ -Fiona Capp, The Saturday Age
Scribe Publications, 2023
9781922585783
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