Not Even a Number

Surviving Larger C - Auschwitz II - Birkenau

By: Edith Perl

Narrated by: Kay Webster

Rifcha and her family were living normal, happy lives. There was school, work, family dinners, outings and vacations. That was until 1938 when the first bit of turmoil started to hit their village located in the Sub-Carpathian mountains - anti-Semitism started running rampant like a disease. It began taking ahold of everyone around them. Those who were once friends now became vicious enemies. Rifcha began to realize that her world was about to crumble.

On April 18, 1944, Rifcha and her family were ripped from their home and taken by gunpoint to the Mukacheve Ghetto. The conditions were harsh and virulent but the entire family was alive and together. Their stay in Mukacheve Ghetto was brief. One month later they were loaded into cattle cars and taken to Auschwitz II- Birkeneu.

Selections were made as soon as the family was pulled from the train. There were no last hugs. No good-byes. As Rifcha's mother and her youngest siblings were being torn away and taken to their final death march, Rifcha's mother made her promise to take care of her sisters, to survive and to make sure she told the world of the atrocities of the Holocaust. At the gates of Auschwitz, Rifcha decided to become someone new. She gave herself a new name: Edita with the meaning: Spoils of war.

Over a million people, lost their lives in Auschwitz II - Birkenau, mostly in gas chambers; today, it is the world's largest Jewish graveyard. At the height of the selections, the murders would peak at 10,000 a day. This camp was home to Dr. Josef Mengele. This was where he did all of his medical experiments. Edita fell prey to Dr. Mengele several times, even becoming victim to his knife, which ended up saving her life. When selections were being made for the eviction of Auschwitz-Birkenau II, Edita once

©2016, 2017 Motivational Press (P)2017 Motivational Press

Heart-wrenching!

it is hard to put into words how I felt after reading this book! It is so hard to believe that humans can be so mean, cruel, uncaring of other humans. I will encourage everyone I can to read this novel. I will never forget!

Wonderful read

Captivating read. Touching story, and the Reader was awesome . I still feel bad for the survivors. It was an unimaginable ordeal

Great book and great narration.

I love the Narration it made the story come alive. Too bad her mom and younger siblings died.

Such Courage

As emotional as this book it was horrifying and yet so hopeful. The strength and love this young woman had was beyond words her will to survive, keeping her promise to her Mama and helping her sisters to survive was so moving. It teaches us how horrible we can be to one another and how we must remember that this ca NEVER happen again.

Excellent

Amazing story. The narrator is perfect and very effective in making the reader actually "feel" the suffering and amazing courage and determination of the main character to survive.

Wonderful

A truly wonderful survivor account from start to finish. Thank you for your bravery and for sharing your story Edith.

Not even a Number

Very hard to beat a true story, thank God there were people that could tell their stories as painful as they are. And then there are the ones that don't think these things happened at all. For those it happened to, I pray for you.

Very good read of Hungarian life and love

These Hungarian Jews lived a charmed life before 1944. Then it was terrible going for all the family. Such family loyalty and love Main character was strong good intuition and to be very much admired Highly recommend this book. I learned a lot of history

best book on auidable

loved every second of it. Puts all other ww2 books to shame. Really tugs on your heart strings

Inspiring!

The author's struggle to survive & her drive to help her family were deeply inspiring! Great book!