Rena's Promise

A Story of Sisters in Auschwitz

Ebook
On sale Feb 24, 2015 | 320 Pages | 9780807095096

See Additional Formats
An expanded edition of the powerful memoir about two sisters' determination to survive during the Holocaust featuring new and never before revealed information about the first transport of women to Auschwitz

Sent to Auschwitz on the first Jewish transport, Rena Kornreich survived the Nazi death camps for over three years. While there she was reunited with her sister Danka. Each day became a struggle to fulfill the promise Rena made to her mother when the family was forced to split apart--a promise to take care of her sister.

One of the few Holocaust memoirs about the lives of women in the camps, Rena's Promise is a compelling story of the fleeting human connections that fostered determination and made survival a possibility. From the bonds between mothers, daughters, and sisters, to the links between prisoners, and even prisoners and guards, Rena's Promise reminds us of the humanity and hope that survives inordinate inhumanity.
CONTENTS

Preface to the Expanded Edition xi
Prologue xix
Chapter One Rena 1
Chapter Two Tylicz 8
Chapter Three Slovakia 32
Chapter Four Auschwitz 53
Chapter Five Birkenau (Auschwitz II) 91
Chapter Six Stabsgebaude (Staff quarters) 183
Chapter Seven Neustadt Glewe 234
Epilogue 244
Acknowledgements 256
Bibliography 259
Study Guide 261
Rena Kornreich Gelissen lives with her husband in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Heather Dune Macadam, a freelance writer, lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Rena Kornreich Gelissen View titles by Rena Kornreich Gelissen

Educator Guide for Rena's Promise

Classroom-based guides appropriate for schools and colleges provide pre-reading and classroom activities, discussion questions connected to the curriculum, further reading, and resources.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

This is a book filled with melancholy wisdom and bitter artistry.... A miraculous message...a voice which we must heed and honor. --Mike Fink, Rhode Island Jewish Herald

"A personal story of courage....[Rena's] first-person account is an illustration of the power of love, even in the face of the Nazi killing machine." --Paul Nowell, Associated Press

"Deeply moving." --Dena Taylor, San Francisco Chronicle

About

An expanded edition of the powerful memoir about two sisters' determination to survive during the Holocaust featuring new and never before revealed information about the first transport of women to Auschwitz

Sent to Auschwitz on the first Jewish transport, Rena Kornreich survived the Nazi death camps for over three years. While there she was reunited with her sister Danka. Each day became a struggle to fulfill the promise Rena made to her mother when the family was forced to split apart--a promise to take care of her sister.

One of the few Holocaust memoirs about the lives of women in the camps, Rena's Promise is a compelling story of the fleeting human connections that fostered determination and made survival a possibility. From the bonds between mothers, daughters, and sisters, to the links between prisoners, and even prisoners and guards, Rena's Promise reminds us of the humanity and hope that survives inordinate inhumanity.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

Preface to the Expanded Edition xi
Prologue xix
Chapter One Rena 1
Chapter Two Tylicz 8
Chapter Three Slovakia 32
Chapter Four Auschwitz 53
Chapter Five Birkenau (Auschwitz II) 91
Chapter Six Stabsgebaude (Staff quarters) 183
Chapter Seven Neustadt Glewe 234
Epilogue 244
Acknowledgements 256
Bibliography 259
Study Guide 261

Author

Rena Kornreich Gelissen lives with her husband in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Heather Dune Macadam, a freelance writer, lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Rena Kornreich Gelissen View titles by Rena Kornreich Gelissen

Guides

Educator Guide for Rena's Promise

Classroom-based guides appropriate for schools and colleges provide pre-reading and classroom activities, discussion questions connected to the curriculum, further reading, and resources.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

Praise

This is a book filled with melancholy wisdom and bitter artistry.... A miraculous message...a voice which we must heed and honor. --Mike Fink, Rhode Island Jewish Herald

"A personal story of courage....[Rena's] first-person account is an illustration of the power of love, even in the face of the Nazi killing machine." --Paul Nowell, Associated Press

"Deeply moving." --Dena Taylor, San Francisco Chronicle

Books for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Each May, we honor the stories, histories, and cultures of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Below is a selection of acclaimed fiction and nonfiction books by AANHPI creators to share with your students this month and throughout the year. Find our full collection of titles for Higher Education here.

Read more