Shana R. (LynniePennie) reviewed Gertruda's Oath: A Child, a Promise, and a Heroic Escape During World War II on + 169 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Wow! This is a great book from Ram Oren. It is in fact a true story about Gertruda Babilinska (a Catholic nanny) and the toddler Michael Stolowitzky (a Jewish boy) whom she vows at all costs to protect after Michael's mother has a stroke and the boy's father is away on business. I loved the short chapters and found the book quite hard to put down. The author was assisted by Michael Stolowitzky (who is still alive in NYC) on many details of Gertruda and their plight. It's a touching book and well worth a read.
This story chronicles & intertwines the lives of Gertruda, Michael & his family, SS Officer Karl Rink & his daughter Helga and a Jewish physician, Dr. Berman. The author tells the stories individually and then writes of how they helped to keep Gertruda and Michael alive during the Holocaust.
As to the truthfulness of this book as questioned by some readers on other book websites, there's an "Author's Note" at the beginning of the book which says and I quote: "Gertruda's Oath is a true story. All the events described in the book are based on my interviews with family members and surviviors of the Holocaust, contemporaneous documents, and my research of those events. However, because Gertruda's Oath is based in large part on the recollections of those involved (many of whom have since passed, including Gertruda), it was nessacary for me to use my skills as an author to compose parts of the dialogue and to fill in details of certain events to facilitate the narrative. Michael and Gertruda's story, and the story of all those affected by the Holocaust, is poignant history, and is here told as close to fact as possible." This is typical for any based on a true story.
This story chronicles & intertwines the lives of Gertruda, Michael & his family, SS Officer Karl Rink & his daughter Helga and a Jewish physician, Dr. Berman. The author tells the stories individually and then writes of how they helped to keep Gertruda and Michael alive during the Holocaust.
As to the truthfulness of this book as questioned by some readers on other book websites, there's an "Author's Note" at the beginning of the book which says and I quote: "Gertruda's Oath is a true story. All the events described in the book are based on my interviews with family members and surviviors of the Holocaust, contemporaneous documents, and my research of those events. However, because Gertruda's Oath is based in large part on the recollections of those involved (many of whom have since passed, including Gertruda), it was nessacary for me to use my skills as an author to compose parts of the dialogue and to fill in details of certain events to facilitate the narrative. Michael and Gertruda's story, and the story of all those affected by the Holocaust, is poignant history, and is here told as close to fact as possible." This is typical for any based on a true story.
