Status
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Description
Romance. Historical Fiction. Young Adult Fiction. HTML: The extraordinary story of Stefania Podgorska, 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. One knock at the door, and Stefania has a choice to make... It is 1943, and for four years, sixteen-year-old Stefania has been working for the Diamant family in their grocery store in Przemsyl, Poland, singing her way into their lives and hearts. 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. But everything changes when the German army invades Przemsyl. 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. And then comes the knock at the door. Izio's brother Max has jumped from the train headed to a death camp. Stefania and Helena make the extraordinary decision to hide Max, and eventually twelve more Jews. Then they must wait, every day, for the next knock at the door, the one that will mean death. When the knock finally comes, it is two Nazi officers, requisitioning Stefania's house for the German army. With two Nazis below, thirteen hidden Jews above, and a little sister by her side, Stefania has one more excruciating choice to make. Also includes a recorded conversation with author Sharon Cameron and reader Beata Po?niak, discussing Beata's decades long friendship with Stefania Podgórska and the legacy of the Podgórska sisters..… (more)
Awards
Language
User reviews
I highly
I simultaneously read the Kindle e-edition and the Overdrive audio edition, both borrowed from my public library.
The narration didn’t really work for me.
The based on true story is compelling. I had nightmares a few nights as I was reading. I decided to not take the stress and I researched the sisters and what they had done and its outcome. I wanted to know what had happened to all the people. There is a lot online about them, especially the two sisters. It’s hard to not put this on my non-fiction and biography and history shelves but it is a novel. I appreciated that at the end of the book the author includes a lot of information about what really happened during and after and also some photos. I had to go back and read it again, that
Reading just the words and ditching the audio (something I should have done from the start) I ended up really liking the book. The ending felt too abrupt to me even though I think how the events were portrayed were realistic and probably did happen that way and probably did feel that way to all involved.
This is an important story and I’m glad it’s told in this book. I’d like to read a non-fiction book about this woman, these sisters, all of these people and places.
3-1/2 stars, rounded up.
The Light In Hidden Places is based on the true story of Stefania (Fusia) PodgĂłrska and her younger sister Helena, two Polish Catholics who hid 13 Jews in their attic during WWII in Przemysl, Poland.
As someone who, in the
Mr. Diamant shook his head. “Di velt iz sheyn nor di mentshn makhn zi mies,” he said. “The world is beautiful, but people make it ugly.”
The bravery of Stefania blew me away. What she did for her found family and then even for some complete strangers was amazing. Even young Helena who stepped up and kept her sister’s secret was so strong. They hid THIRTEEN Jews in their attic. THIRTEEN!
“Thirteen, I think. Thirteen Jews in the attic. It’s not like the Nazis could kill me more.”
Sharon Cameron did her research for this book: the unpublished memoir of Stefania’s was the backbone to the novel, as well as interviews with some of the other members of the group. I didn’t feel like the story was extremely long or anything as I know that Cameron was trying to put as much as she possibly could into the novel. I felt like there were a few loose(r) ends, mostly people who seemed to have disappeared after a certain point
The depictions of the horrors of war and the cruelty of Nazis is appropriate for teen readers. It’s not an easy read, but it’s an important one. This story is beautifully written in a heartbreaking way. I would highly recommend this book to teen and older readers who would like to read about true heroism in the time of war.
This story starts with a bang and never lets up. It's all the more