As a child, Nonna Lisowskaja Bannister, kept diaries of her life in the Ukraine and in her unwanted travels during the war. For approximately the first half of the book, Nonna describes the events of a carefree child who delights in her family and holidays. At a young age, her father teaches her other languages which will come to benefit her as the war continues. By age 16, Nonna is fluent in 4 languages. In fact, her diary is written in different languages which she translates into English (not one of her original 4 languages) as she is in her final years. The second half of the book details the loss of several family members. She and her mother end up in the Nazi labor camps. Ultimately, Nonna's ability to speak multiple languages gets them transferred to "better" camps and ultimately to a hospital to work. Nonna is kept safe at this hospital which is run by nuns who give her a less conspicuous name. She remains here and receives training as a nurse as well until the end of the war. A few years later, Nonna immigrates to the US where she meets her husband who she will remain married to for over 50 years. She does not share her childhood experiences even with him until they have been together for about 50 years.
While this story is no Diary of Anne Frank, it is a compelling read. The first half is very slow and took me a long time to get through which is why it has been over a month since my last blog. Once the author begins writing about her wartime experiences, the story picks up pace. It is difficult to imagine the atrocities that young children both saw and experienced during those years. Reading about this topic through the voice of a child is eye opening. It's worth the read.
The Secret Holocaust Diaries
