Maura says "This is a true story of two sisters. A Holocaust story appropriate for 5th graders and older. The illustrations are very unusual and beautiful"

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Product Description

(From the book jacket) In this stunning collection of embroidered panels lies Esther Krinitz's remarkable journey of living through the Holocaust in Poland. At the age of 15, she and her 13-year-old sister separated from their family and went into hiding. Forced from the homes of their friends and neighbors, they sought refuge in the depths of the forest. With no place left to turn, they disguised themselves as Catholic farmhands and lived for years in fear as the war raged on. The eventual end of the war brought with it a heartbreaking discovery: while Esther and her sister survived, their parents and siblings, and millions of other Jews, did not.

Though never trained as an artist, at the age of 50, Esther decided to retell her memories through this series of hand-stitched panels. At once naive and infinitely complex, these images reveal both the extreme horrors of war and the cherished family memories shared before the war began. Told in Esther's own words! , with commentary written by her daughter, Bernice Steinhardt, this is an unforgettable look back to a time and events that must never be forgotten.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #756591 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-15
• Released on: 2005-10-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 64 pages

From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 6-9–Krinitz tells the story of her childhood in a small Polish village through a series of hand-stitched embroidered panels and captions. Done in various needlework techniques, different styles of embroidery, and fabric collage, the 34 panels depict with astonishing detail and complexity her childhood home and family before World War II, the Nazi invasion of her village, and the forced labor and death camps. They also show her escape and life in hiding, the end of the war, her visit to the Maidanek concentration camp where her family was likely exterminated, and her journey to America. Commentary by her daughter accompanies each image and provides additional details and background information. Aspects of Jewish culture, rituals, and holidays are prominently featured along with a strong sense of setting and season. The intricate, multifaceted artwork uniquely illustrates the horrors of the Holocaust alongside the natural beauty of Krinitz's surroundings, and the cherished relationships that she shared with her family. A detailed introduction, table of contents, and afterword are included.–Rachel Kamin, Temple Israel Libraries & Media Center, West Bloomfield, MI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Gr. 6-9. During the many years before her death in 2000, Krinitz set down the story of her Holocaust survival in a series of 36 exquisite, hand-embroidered fabric collages and hand-stitched narrative captions. For this picture-book presentation, Steinhardt, Krinitz's daughter, reproduced those panels, adding eloquent commentary to fill in the facts and the history. The first panels show Esther, 10, with her loving family in a small Polish village in 1937 before the Nazis come. The soldiers arrive in 1939^B. When Esther is 15, they take her family away, and she never sees them again. She and her sister survive by hiding in the woods, and then, disguised as Polish Catholic farm girls, are taken in by a kind farmer. After the Russians come, Esther sees the death camps. The telling is quiet, and the hand-stitched pictures are incredibly detailed, with depth and color that will make readers look closely, whether at a scene of the communal baking before the war, a line of refugees and prisoners, or a picture of giant cabbages growing on human ashes in a corner of the death camps. Connect this to Jacqueline Woodson's Show Way (2005), about the quilts sewn by African American women from slavery times through today. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
*Star* Outstanding design against colored backgrounds ...A remarkable achievement and a must for any collection. -- Kirkus Reviews, September 2005

...The telling is quiet, and the pictures are incredibly detailed, with depth and color that make readers look closely. -- Booklist, October 1, 2005

Astounding.... Esther's strong memories and clear storytelling move the heartbreaking tale forward and leave the reader stunned. -- The Horn Book November/December 2005

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Customer Reviews

Memories of Survival is a very special book
Memories of Survival reveals the truth in the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words and for the first time the history of the Holocaust makes the leap from memory to life in the hand stitched and embroidered tapestries of Holocaust survivor Esther Nisenthal Krinitz.

Having also seen the original artwork that is presented in this beautiful book I can attest that the pictures and stories touch the reader, whether child or adult. The book lovingly enables you to feel that you are remembering the human realities that Esther Nisenthal Krinitz experienced as a child and that she later stitched to life to tell her story to her family, and now shares with the world.

Memories of Survival has a place in every home.

Poignant Reminder of the Holocaust
I picked up this book at the school where I teach on the advice of our librarian and I am so very glad I did! The stories woven in the embroidered panels speak volumes about what Esther Nisenthal and her family endured during the horror of the Holocaust. Her use of color is astonishing, and the fact that she actually embroidered the words to her story onto the cloths just makes the whole experience seem so much more real and personal. This book is a moving tribute to all who perished and survived this evil time. This is an amazing book. Highly, highly recommended.

Horrors Understood
"Memories of Survival", helped me more fully grasp the Holocost through the untutored art of survivor Esther Nisenthal Krinitz. I saw "Memories" when it was on exhibit at the American Museum of Visionary Art in Baltimore, Maryland in the spring of 2005. Mrs. Krinitz's beguiling needlework enabled me to absorb the impact of Nazism on a level hitherto unavailable to me. Her artful pictures and their simple text informed me on what I had been afraid to imagine. I've purchased 4 copies of Memories of Survival", 3 to give as gifts, and one to keep.