Book Review: We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

We Were the Lucky Ones: A Novel is a tribute to how much can be accomplished with hope and love against all odds. This story was inspired by the story of one Jewish family separated at the start of World War II, determined to survive and eventually reunite,

Based on true events, Georgia Hunter describes in great the journey of the Kurc family in great detail. Each important movement, incarceration, brush with death and escape documented in the book actually happened. Ms. Hunter wrote We Were the Lucky Ones after nearly a decade of research.  She recorded family narratives, translated long forgotten letters and documents, and traveled to the places described in the book to experience them firsthand. 

In the spring of 1939, three generations of the Kurc family lived 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, and changed 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. They either worked horrendous hours on empty stomachs in the ghetto factories or hid 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 relied on inner strength, resourcefulness and tremendous inner strength to survive.

The remarkable story of Ms. Hunter’s grandfather’s family is hard to believe, but it’s all true. She makes every character come alive with her detailed descriptions. She writes so we understand that in the darkest times, people can endure and even thrive despite the incomprehensible evil surrounding them.