by Leslie Farin
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Based by the inspiring true story of one Jewish family separated at the start of World War II determined to survive and eventually reunite, We Were the Lucky Ones is a tribute to what can be accomplished with hope and love against all odds.
The story that unfolds in this book by Georgia Hunter is based on true events. Every important movement, incarceration, brush with death and escape described in the narrative actually took place.We Were the Lucky Ones was written after nearly a decade of research. Ms.Hunter recorded family narratives, translated old letters and documents, and reached out to every possible person, museum, and organization that might be able to provide records. She also traveled to the places described in the book to experience them firsthand.
In spring of 1939, three generations of the Kurc family are living their normal lives in their hometown of Radon, Poland, though the threat of war was in the air.They talked about the things families talk about such as new babies, upcoming weddings, careers. The hardships around them soon became inescapable horrors, changing their lives forever.
One family member attempts to flee the continent, while another is forced into exile. Others stay put but struggle to escape certain death, either by working horrendous hours on empty stomachs in the ghetto factories or by hiding in plain site as gentiles.Motivated by a stubborn will to survive and by the fear they may never see each other again, the Kurcs rely on inner strength, resourcefulness and tremendous inner strength to survive.
The “unbelievability” and statistical improbability of the remarkable story of Ms. Hunter’s grandfather’s family drove her to unearth and record it. The raw details provided make the characters come alive in every chapter and demonstrate how the human spirit can endure and even flourish in the face of incomprehensible evil.
Available on Amazon.com – $13.50 for the book, $10.99 on kindle