Description
THE LONG-AWAITED, MOVING MEMOIR OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR HANNAH PICK-GOSLAR.
'Heartbreaking and life-affirming' - Edith Eger, bestselling author of The Choice
'An extraordinary story of love, loss and the power of friendship in the darkest time.' - Jack Fairweather, Costa prizewinning author of The Volunteer
When five-year-old Hannah Pick-Goslar and her family fled Nazi Germany to live in Amsterdam, she soon struck up a friendship with a precocious, outspoken and fun-loving girl named Anne Frank. For several blissful years, the girls were inseparable, enjoying carefree childhood games and sleepovers in their neighbourhood of Rivierenbuurt.
Then, one day in 1942, two best friends' lives were about to change for ever. As the Nazi occupation intensified, Anne and the Frank family vanished. As Hannah puzzled over the fate of her friend, hoping she was safe, her own family's fate began to unfold: they were captured and taken to Westerbork transit camp, before being transported to Bergen-Belsen.
Amid horrific conditions and surrounded by death, Hannah heard astonishing news about her dear friend and risked her life to help her.
'As a girl I witnessed the world I loved crumble and vanish, destroyed by senseless hatred, and with it, my best friend Anne.'
In an incredible memoir of hope, strength and defiance, Hannah's story of survival is testament to the enduring power of friendship, love and remembering.
About the Author
Hannah Pick-Goslar, known as Hanneli to her friends and as 'Lies Goosens' in her dear friend Anne Frank's diary, was born in Berlin 1928, as the eldest child of Jewish parents, Hans Goslar and Ruth Judith Klee. In 1933, after the election of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, the Goslars moved to Amsterdam. After the Nazi occupation of Europe intensified, in 1943, Hannah and her family were arrested and sent to Westerbork transit camp, before being transported to Bergen-Belsen. Hannah survived 14 months of horrific conditions and hardship before the camp was liberated in 1945. She emigrated to British Mandate Palestine in 1947 and trained as a nurse. Once retired, Hannah enjoyed the company of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She passed away in 2022 at the age of 93.
Reviews
'Vivid and extraordinary' * The Guardian *
'Hannah's story finally completes what Anne could not. It is both heartbreaking and life-affirming, and we need its truth now more than ever.' * Dr. Edith Eger, author of The Choice *
'One of the most moving, profound and important books I've ever read.' * Rangan Chatterjee *
'An extraordinary story of love, loss, and the power of friendship in the darkest time. This book, like its author, is an essential companion to Anne Frank's life.' * Jack Fairweather, Costa Prizewinning author of The Volunteer *
'This miraculous wartime memoir is deeply affecting because it is the story of two normal girls' * The Sunday Times *
Book Information
ISBN 9781846047435
Author Hannah Pick-Goslar
Format Hardback
Page Count 320
Imprint Rider & Co
Publisher Ebury Publishing
Weight(grams) 560g
Dimensions(mm) 236mm * 160mm * 32mm