An Angel on Earth
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If ever God put an angel on Earth he did it with Sister Luba. How many people are alive today because of her bravery and courage can only be guessed at.
Somehow she managed to protect the children from not only the worst of the material privations, but through her selfless dedication managed to protect them from the worst of the mental tortures also. As far as one could imagine it possible in the circumstances she managed to give these children a "normal" childhood.
Not only is the story itself remarkable and heart-warming, but also the book is written in real un-putdownable style. Once you start you'll want to read the whole thing in a night.
Every piece of holocaust survivor literature adds something to our memory and understanding of the "final solution". This one shows us how true love and kindness could fluorish in the worst of places.
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A must read!!
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A well written, to the point, account of life in the Westerbork repatriation camp and the horrors of Belson concentration camp from a child's perspective.
Any story that deals with war, children and suffering is bound to be moving but throughout you find yourself filled with admiration for such remarkable young children and the bravery of their parents and those, like Sister Luba 'The Angel of Belson' who did their utmost to ensure the childrens' survival.
My 16 year old daughter recommended this to me and I recommend it strongly to anyone who wants to know more about life in the camps and how the people who were there got through it...or sadly in some cases, didn't.
Far from being depressing (although I'm not claiming to have remained dry eyed throughout) Hetty's account fills you with admiration for the inner strength of the children and pride for those who fought and liberated the camps.
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Harrowing tale of survival
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A compelling read, i had trouble putting this book down. The courage of this girl at such a tender age and her rude awakening to the brutality and horror of the Nazi concentration camp moved me greatly. A true tale of human endurance.
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A must read!
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This is the extremelly moving story of Hetty Verlome amd her experiences living in barrack 211, or the Children's House as it became known, at Belsen.
It is a fascinating recollection of the tradgic events that unfolded during the war. Hetty re-lives the horror of the concentration camp and details not only how it effected her and her family's lives, but also the lives of thousands of others.
Hetty was sent to Belsen with her two younger brothers and her parents after a brief stay at Westbork [a repatrition camp Jews went to before being sent out to one of the concentration camps].The children and their parents were seperated soon after and Hetty had to take care of her brothers. The three were put in another barrack with 40 other children. Hetty was the oldest so she had the sole responsibilty of trying to keep them all alive.It was an impossible task.
Luckilly Sister Luba,or the Angel of Belsen, found the children and moved them to the now infamous Children's House. There she did her best to feed and keep each child healthy. The children came to look at her as a second mother, and she in return grew to love them. They remaind in her care until they were reuinted with family after the liberation of the camp.
The book brings home the horrors of the Nazis Final Solution and through the innocent eyes of a child we are given a vivid image of how utterly disgusting people were treated. There are many stomach churning parts in the book, for example when Hetty finds hundreds of lice in her underarm hair or when she sees a man eating a corpses ear.
Even though there are many events that will leave you upset it is a book that has to be read. It gives a true, first hand account of the holacaut and brings home the message that we need to make sure this never happens again.
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