Survivor's Club: The True Story of a Very Young Prisoner of Auschwitz
By Michael Bornstein
New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2017. 348 pgs. Young Adult Nonfiction
Michael Bornstein was one of the youngest survivors of Auschwitz. Soviet soldiers liberated the camp and documented the event when Bornstein was only 4 years old. He kept his memories and experiences to himself for decades. One day he saw an image of himself from the day he was liberated being used on a website to deny the atrocities that happened at Auschwitz. At that point he knew he needed to tell his story. With the help of his daughter, Bornstein worked to piece together his early history and now shares his story of survival for the first time.
I am a huge fan of human survival stories and this one is especially poignant because Bornstein was so young. I was continually impressed with Bornstein’s parents’ bravery and resourcefulness. I was amazed that a little boy of 4 years old found the endurance to stay alive. It’s always shocking to learn about the brutality that exists in this world, but Bornstein does an excellent job of keeping his story appropriate for young adult audiences while telling a historically accurate account.
MC
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