Authors: Joan M. Wolf
Like Milada, Maru0161ka lost her brother and father to Nazi guns, and lost her beloved grandmother in Ravensbrück. She too was adopted into a Nazi family and, like Milada, was able to keep a special piece of jewelry with her (a pair of earrings) throughout the war. Her adoptive family, like Milada's, lived relatively near Ravensbrück (although her adoptive father was not a high-ranking Nazi). Like Milada, she was unable to remember any of the Czech language when she returned. However, her mother did not speak German, and the two were unable to communicate. Tragically, her mother died several months after her return as a result of tuberculosis contracted in Ravensbrück. Maru0161ka was left orphaned and alone.
I remain amazed not only by the courage these survivors showed sixty years ago but by their continuing optimism and strength. The story of Lidice has much to teach us about humankind's incredible capacity for brutality, as well as its incredible ability to surviveâand even thriveâdespite horrific events.
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Joan M. Wolf's research for this book took her to the Czech Republic, where her great-grandmother was born. During her trip, she visited the town of Lidice and met four survivors of the Nazi attack that took place there on June 10, 1942. "They graciously shared their horrific and courageous experiences with me, and I came away from that trip forever changedâboth as a writer and as a person," she says.
When not writing, Joan teaches fourth grade in Minnesota. This is her first book for children.