THE SECRET HOLOCAUST DIARIES

In this account of Nonna Bannister's girlhood experiences in Europe during WWII, both horrifying and heartbreaking events take place. But the most remarkable aspect of the story is Nonna's ability to hold on to the happy memories of her childhood, despite the pain that followed. Rebecca Gallagher's warm voice and bright delivery capture the coziness of Nonna's family life. Nonna’s darker memories are of fleeing Stalinist Russia, only to end up in a Nazi concentration camp in Germany, where her mother was killed. These passages Gallagher delivers with restrained emotion, which makes them even more powerful. Throughout, Gallagher projects the flicker of hope that never left Nonna entirely and allowed her to create a life for herself later on in America. Nonna’s positive outlook is further conveyed in an interview with her, as an elderly woman, at the end of the book. A.E.B. 2010 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2010]