Format: ARC
“There have to be more ways to stay alive than to be witness to so much death.”
Based upon a true story, Cilka’s Journey tells that tale of Cilka who was sixteen years old when she is taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp, in 1942. There she gained the attention of the Commandant, and is kept separate from the other women, she is allowed to have her hair long, to have “nice” things…. but nothing is free, everything has a cost. Wanting to survive she does what she can, all the while trying to help others.
At the end of the war, she believes she is free, it is over, she can pick up the pieces of her life, but life is not kind, sometimes it is quite cruel, and she is found to be a collaborator for “sleeping” with the enemy, plus she had the gift of language and spoke several languages, certainly she is a spy (as well as a whore). Oh, how that made my blood boil. Her sentence is being sent to a Siberian prison/work camp. Yet again, she cannot escape the unwanted attention (rape) from men. Seriously, let’s be real “sleeping with the enemy” and “unwanted attention” are rape, which the women were subjected to time and time again. Her only solace is finding a place in the hospital, where she falls under the wing of a female doctor and finds purpose helping others, giving them solace and saving lives.
“To forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time.”- Elie Wiesel
I found this book to be well written, well researched, thought provoking, moving, captivating and heartbreaking. I love books based on true stories and people. This book was no exception. There are some scenes which may make some people uncomfortable, but I feel they are also necessary for the telling of Cilka’s story. There was a scene in the book where one character showed sacrifice and gave a “gift to another character. I couldn’t help but think of Holocaust Survivor Gerda Weissman Klein who told the story of her friend, Isle, who found a raspberry on a leaf in a Nazi labor camp and instead of eating it, saved it and gave it to Gerda at the end of the day. Gerta said “Can you conceive of a world in which your entire possession becomes one raspberry, and to give this treasure to your friend?” Cilka does not give a raspberry, but she gives an even greater gift in this book.
I thought about MA (Grandmother) a lot during reading this book. She was fifteen when she entered Auschwitz and also received “unwanted attention” and had every single one of her teeth punched out by a Nazi. Strongest woman I ever had the privilege and pleasure of knowing and loving.
This is an emotional tale which gives a glimpse into one woman’s life and experiences in both Auschwitz and a Siberian Labor Camp. The cold and snow also become characters in this desolate landscape where the only warmth comes from the close friendships the characters have with others.
This is a story of survival, courage, friendship, love, caring, hatred, rape, racism and cruelty. It is equally inspiring and heartbreaking. I suggest reading The Tattooist of Auschwitz prior to reading this book. Cilka is first introduced in that book as a minor character. Due to interest in her, Morris began to research her life.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.