Living in fear and under constant suspicion, Fusia holds down a full-time factory job, fends off a Polish officer's advances, and undergoes several extremely close calls with the police, all while fiercely protecting Helena (an especially appealing character, sharp and savvy under her shy demeanor). Eventually she hides her friend, Max, and six (and later 13) other Jews in her and Helena's apartment. Catholic Fusia doggedly persists in doing what she believes is right when the Jewish family she has been living with and working for is sent to the Jewish ghetto, she sneaks food and supplies to them. Based on the experiences of then-teenager Stefania "Fusia" Podg rska, who, along with her younger sister Helena, was, in 1979, honored by the World Holocaust Remembrance Center for their heroism in saving Jews during the war, the book traces, in exhaustive detail, what that heroism looked like daily. This remarkable tale of courage and humanity, based on a true story, is now a Reese's Book Club YA Pick!Ĭameron's saga of life in wartime Poland under German occupation stretches from 1936, when 11-year-old Fusia first falls in love with city life on a visit to Przemys l, through July 1944. With two Nazis below, thirteen hidden Jews above, and a little sister by her side, Stefania has one more excruciating choice to make. When the knock finally comes, it is two Nazi officers, requisitioning Stefania's house for the German army. Then they must wait, every day, for the next knock at the door, the one that will mean death. Stefania and Helena make the extraordinary decision to hide Max, and eventually twelve more Jews. Izio's brother Max has jumped from the train headed to a death camp.
The Diamants are forced into the ghetto, and Stefania is alone in an occupied city, the only one left to care for Helena, her six-year-old sister. She has even made a promise to one of their sons, Izio - a betrothal they must keep secret since she is Catholic and the Diamants are Jewish.īut everything changes when the German army invades Przemysl.
It is 1943, and for four years, sixteen-year-old Stefania has been working for the Diamant family in their grocery store in Przemysl, Poland, singing her way into their lives and hearts. One knock at the door, and Stefania has a choice to make. The extraordinary story of Stefania Podgórska, a Polish teenager who chose bravery and humanity by hiding thirteen Jews in her attic during WWII, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Sharon Cameron - now a Reese's Book Club YA Pick!
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