[.ca] Girl in the Red Coat (ISBN 0340819073)

great:
I thought that this book was very good. It was very interesting, and kept getting better. I thought her failed marraiges, addiction to anit-depressants (I think it was), and an abortion, and more were very interesting. Not something I have ever read from a Holocaust survivor. And I have read a lot of books on the holocaust. This is definitly a book that proves that holocaust survivors are humans too, that make mistakes and aren't perfect or born with a hallow on their head.

She provides testimony:
While I still don't know why some people survived the Holocaust and others didn't, I do know why Roma Ligocka survived: she provides testimony. Her story begins as a toddler tells her tale of fear in the Krakow Ghetto. Scarcely more than an infant when the Jews were forced to wear Jewish stars on their clothing, she absolutely knew no other way of life. When an aunt said that she'd have men at her feet because of her beauty, she wondered if they'd be dead; that's what she knew. She watched the snatching of her grandmother before her very eyes, as she hid under a table. Her father was forced to go to Auschwitz. Her mother begged for places for them to stay throughout the war. The first half of the book deals with Roma's life before the end of the war. The second half deals with her life after the war: how events, seemingly minor, during the war, left permanent scars in her mind. While this memoir deals with topics such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, failed marriages, show business, prejudice, and addiction, this is not a book ABOUT those topics. This is a book about a woman who saw "Schindler's List" and recognized herself and her family as subjects, and who had the courage to reflect, document, and move on. This is a story of survival. (purchased via my amazon.com wishlist)

recommended:
one of the best books I have ever read, the one that will stick to my mind forever; I must admit I don't read a lot (a "no time" excuse...) but I just could not put it down...

I read it all in one sitting:
A very moving book. I've read many books about the Holocaust. However, I don't think I previously read one that was written by someone who was so young during the war and that focused so much on the author's adult life. Even though intellectually one knows that war scars a soul forever, living the aftereffects through a single individual's perspective is emotionally stunning. Highly recommended.

GRIPPING AND TOUCHING:
I just wanted to say how moved I was by the book The Girl In The Red Coat. It is a book that I just didnt want to put down until it was finished. I was so moved by terrible things that Roma Ligocka experienced as a child. Hopefully, the world will never be subject to such tyranny again. I am a Christian, and also have a great love for the Jewish people. Jesus has all the answers.