Description:
The true story of a brave Jewish girl from Warsaw who was a decorated Polish Home Army soldier at the age of 10. She defied Hitler's Reich.
Brief description: Janet Bond Brill was born and raised in New York City, the daughter of a prominent stage and screen actor and a psychoanalyst. After graduating from Walden School at 16 and earning her B.S. in Biology from the University of Miami, she spent seven years as a flight attendant for Pan American World Airways before returning to academia.Dr. Brill holds a PhD in Exercise Science from the University of Miami, along with two master's degrees, one in Exercise Science from the University of Miami and another in Nutrition Science from Florida International University. She is the author of four nationally recognized health books, including Cholesterol Down and Blood Pressure Down, published by Random House, as well as numerous scientific papers and articles for lay publications. Her scientific training taught her to meticulously research and document evidence, skills she applied to preserving Edna's testimony with historical accuracy.For 37 years, Dr. Brill knew and loved her mother-in-law, Holocaust survivor and WWII child hero, Edna Stefania Brill. Their profound bond and Edna's trust in sharing her story inspired Dr. Brill to move from health writing to historical memoir, determined to record Edna's experiences for future generations: her first memoir and her most important work.Dr. Brill has twice presented Edna's story at the Pacific Lutheran University Powell-Heller Conference for Holocaust Education, honoring her promise to ensure that Edna's experiences will never be forgotten. She believes that preserving survivor testimony is essential not only to honor those who perished and those who survived, but also to illuminate the catastrophic consequences of unchecked hatred and to awaken humanity's obligation to stand against it.Dr. Brill lives in Pennsylvania with her husband Sam, Edna's son. Together they have three children, Rachel, Mia, and Jason, with Mia named for Edna's sister Miriam. They also have two grandchildren who carry forward their great-grandmother's legacy into the next generation.
Review Quotes:
"A haunting and beautifully rendered memoir that ensures the voices of survivors will never fade into silence."
- Dr. Michael Berenbaum, Holocaust scholar and Director Sigi Ziering Institute, American Jewish University
"A gripping, well-done narrative that does justice to Edna's amazing story. The narrative is moving and vulnerable, reflecting on a terrifying time in history and examining the aftereffects of those experiences on the children who confronted them. Readers will grieve, cheer, and be inspired."
- BookLife, Publishers Weekly