Inspired by a true story, My Mother’s Secret is a captivating and ultimately uplifting tale intertwining the lives of two Jewish families in hiding from the Nazis, a fleeing German soldier, and the mother and daughter who save them all. Franciszka and her daughter, Helena, are simple, ordinary people…until 1939, when the Nazis invade their homeland. Providing shelter to Jews in Nazi-occupied … to Jews in Nazi-occupied Poland is a death sentence, but Franciszka and Helena do exactly that. In their tiny home in Sokal, they hide a Jewish family in a loft above their pigsty, a Jewish doctor with his wife and son in a makeshift cellar under the kitchen, and a defecting German soldier in the attic—each party completely unknown to the others. For everyone to survive, Franciszka will have to outsmart her neighbors and the German commander.
Told simply and succinctly from four different perspectives—all under one roof—My Mother’s Secret is a testament to the kindness, courage, and generosity of ordinary people who chose to be extraordinary.
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It took me a bit to get into the story due to the way it was presented but once I figured that out, it was a good read and one that did have a happy ending. We should all understand the hardships that all of these people went through and the risks that were taken to provide a future for those who had to hide during this despicable time in order to live. Well done.
I always like books that are based on a true story, such as this one, and especially those dealing with WWII and the Holocaust. The author uses sparse words with plenty of meaning. It is written in such a way that a teen could read it and yet an adult is drawn in, as well. It is a challenge that one person can have a tremendous impact on others.
I enjoyed it. It was a page turner.
Interesting and inspirational, but couldn’t help wishing that the author had spent a little more time fleshing out the characters and given us a little more. That said, this is a good read.
very informative of the time when Jews were killed for being Jewish.
I thought it was an excellent and easy read. I read it in one sitting.
I’ve read many books about the second World War, but this one was different in that the mother was never caught. It is based on a true story too.
Quick reading. Good story. Not deep.
made you feel you were right there. written very simply but made you stop and think about what courageous prople can do. great book.
Good representation of what war was like in Europe during the war. Shows the goodness of people who put their lives in danger to help others.
Based on a true story, this is a great introduction to WWII for younger readers.
A nice story, well told albeit a bit on the juvenile style. Quick read and the story is nice. The real story, as told in the afterward, is nicer.
A lesson in human kindness that boggles the mind.
Good story but told in a different way. Way too short. Not worth the price!
Fantastic account of a courageous woman. Read on one sitting
The courage of one woman saved so many life’s
This story, based on truth, is about courage, morality, humanity. I liked all the characters, the ones who hid and the ones who hid them.
Short but very engaging.
Am informative World War II book
Very well written. Shows the good in people in the worst of times.