Award-Winning Novelist Cynthia Polansky BluSky Media Group Barnes&Noble.com Category:  Historical Fiction Publisher: Martin & Lawrence Press Type: Fiction Pages: 206 Copyright: April 15, 2007 ISBN-13: 9780977389827 Based on a true story, a Dutch woman finds herself caught in the nightmare of Hitler's regime when she voluntarily accompanies her 6 stepdaughters to Auschwitz. On the morning of May 10, 1940, the last thing Sofie Rijnfeld expected was the sky to start raining German paratroopers. She and Jan, her husband of three years, were living contentedly with Jan's six daughters in Amsterdam. Life held the promise of a bright future for the Rijnfelds...until the German occupation of Holland and a six-pointed star made of yellow cloth with the word Jood in the middle. As the Nazi persecution of Europe's Jewry escalates, all six Rijnfeld girls are called up for deportation. Rather than allow her stepdaughters to venture alone to an arcane fate, Sofie insists on accompanying them, ignoring the dangerous implications. In Auschwitz, Sofie discovers a strength and ingenuity she never knew she had, but can her indomitable spirit help keep her daughters alive? This is based on the true story of a woman who refuses to be bested by circumstances. Like a phoenix , she rises from the ashes of tragedy to triumph as a heroine who calls to mind the passave from Proverbs, "A woman of valor, who can find?  For her price is far above rubies." Excerpt "At least the Nazis got one thing right," thought Sofie as she sewed the yellow cloth star on Jan's coat, "There is no better place for a Star of David than over a Jew's heart."

Armchair Interviews
"I hope this book will eventually become as well-known as The Hiding Place and The Diary of Anne Frank...A woman more compassionate and loving would indeed be very difficult to find -- a woman willing to give up her life for that of her stepdaughters, leaving behind the love of her life, in order to take care of his daughters to give him the peace of mind that at least the seven of them are together...[a] Powerful story with a powerful telling.
-- Maria Elmvang

Reader Views
Combining true facts with the harrowing experiences of one family brings the horror of the holocaust alive. Because we see how the family lived and loved before their world collapsed, made vivid by detailed story-telling, the often-asked question about why the Jews didn't fight back is skillfully answered. We read each incident with disbelief, wishing it could be undone, wishing it could be untrue, as certainly as those who suffered in the camps must have. Bringing the gruesome experience into our minds and hearts is the real gift of this book. The voice is honest and heartfelt and makes reading the unbearable compelling, because we keep hoping until the last page. This small book should be recommended reading in all high schools where Holocaust units are taught and read by anyone who is learning about what happened for the first time, but that does not exclude those who already know. Anyone can benefit from the story of hope and love so compassionately told here.
-- Kim Peterson

Always There is Hope
Combining true facts with the harrowing experiences of one family brings the horror of the holocaust alive. Because we see how the family lived and loved before their world collapsed, made vivid by detailed story-telling, the often-asked question about why the Jews didn't fight back is skillfully answered. We read each incident with disbelief, wishing it could be undone, wishing it could be untrue, as certainly as those who suffered in the camps must have. Bringing the gruesome experience into our minds and hearts is the real gift of this book. The voice is honest and heartfelt and makes reading the unbearable compelling, because we keep hoping until the last page. This small book should be recommended reading in all high schools where Holocaust units are taught and read by anyone who is learning about what happened for the first time, but that does not exclude those who already know. Anyone can benefit from the story of hope and love so compassionately told here.
-- Gayle W., Amazon.com