‘My name is Renee Salt. I am 94 years old, I am a witness to history. I am a survivor.
This is my attempt to make sense of a story which I can scarcely believe happened to me. Some of these pages are drenched in horror, but every so often a little light of hope and humanity shines through.
There is love, too – so much love.’
Renee and her mother Sala never left each other’s sides. From invasion to liberation, September 1939 to April 1945, as Renee was marched, herded and shoved from ghetto to camp, there was one constant. One hand which clutched hers – her mother’s. Every day for six years, mother and daughter were tangled together in hell. From ghettos to slave labour, from Auschwitz to Bergen-Belsen, they were a powerful source of solace and hope to one another.
Renee knows that she is only alive today because of her mother, that it was the sheer force and power of her love that gave them both something fragile but beautiful to cling to in an ugly, depraved world. It was her mother who hid her, lied to the SS, went right when she was directed left – whose small actions had lifesaving consequences. Now, for Renee, the need to share has finally overcome the desire to forget. This is a love letter to a mother eighty years in the making.
This is my attempt to make sense of a story which I can scarcely believe happened to me. Some of these pages are drenched in horror, but every so often a little light of hope and humanity shines through.
There is love, too – so much love.’
Renee and her mother Sala never left each other’s sides. From invasion to liberation, September 1939 to April 1945, as Renee was marched, herded and shoved from ghetto to camp, there was one constant. One hand which clutched hers – her mother’s. Every day for six years, mother and daughter were tangled together in hell. From ghettos to slave labour, from Auschwitz to Bergen-Belsen, they were a powerful source of solace and hope to one another.
Renee knows that she is only alive today because of her mother, that it was the sheer force and power of her love that gave them both something fragile but beautiful to cling to in an ugly, depraved world. It was her mother who hid her, lied to the SS, went right when she was directed left – whose small actions had lifesaving consequences. Now, for Renee, the need to share has finally overcome the desire to forget. This is a love letter to a mother eighty years in the making.
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Reviews
An unforgettable story about the power of love, a story that reminds us how important hope is, a story that proves to us that human beings are remarkable and endlessly inspiring.
This is a most extraordinary memoir, distinctive for its detailed recollection and its fearlessness in recording the truth of what happened.
A moving portrayal of one young woman's heroic life story... Renee's journey is one of hope through the ashes of the past.
A powerful account of a young girl's incredible resilience in the face of the unthinkable horror of the Holocaust, Renee Salt's memoir is needed now more than ever. A riveting read.
A powerful testament to a mother's love during unbelievable hardship... Renee's story of resilience and survival is powerful, poignant, and deeply important. A must-read.
This is a book that will stay with me for a long time... A beautiful account, so movingly told.
A privilege to read... a deeply moving memoir, beautifully written and researched. A fascinating, heart-breaking story.
Renee Salt and Kate Thompson come together in powerful unity in a way that is both deeply moving and unforgettable. This is a story the world needs to know.