Karolina's Twins by Ronald H. Balson

 This story is almost entirely set in Poland during WWII. The book’s leaflet claims, “Just when you think there could not be anything new to unearth from World War II…” and I couldn’t agree more. For the first time I came across a mention of one of the greatest wartime heroes, Witold Pilecki, who was awarded the Cross of Valor twice, and the highest award posthumously of the Order of the White Eagle in 2006. 

It is a very vivid story of one’s woman ordeal during the horrific anti-Semitic war. When Germany invades Poland on September 1st 1939, Lena Scheinman is 15 and lives with her family in Chrzanow, about 13 miles from Oswiecim, the horrendous camp known as Auschwitz. With each day more restrictions are put on Jews. She no longer is able to go to school, listen to the radio, or shop where she chooses. Two years later, her family is taken by Nazis. She hides in the attic, only to fall into the hands of Nazi colonel a month later. She is taken to the Shop, where she sews uniforms for Germans. At the Shop, she reunites with her best friend Karolina. During the winter time, Lena catches pneumonia. There are no antibiotics for Jews. Karolina does what is needed in order to get the antibiotic. Lena’s restless soul wants to make a contribution to this terrible war. She learns about the Secret Polish Army (started by Witold Pilecki), about its first reports of Auschwitz being turned from a prisoner-of-war camp to a death camp with gas chambers and gets involved with them. Once the Chrzanow’s Shop gets closed, they get send from one camp to another. The words, “You can do this,” become her mantra and get her through the war.

The story of the war told by Lena is very interesting. I didn’t care for the story of her lawyer and her detective, who get into bickering with another lawyer and court proceedings. Nevertheless, overall the story is very engrossing and well-written.

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