Published in 2011 (first published 1988)
450 pages
Alicia Appleman was a writer and lecturer. She was the author of Alicia: My Story. She died in 2017.
What is this book about?
WINNER OF THE 1989 CHRISTOPHER AWARD • Here is a thrilling, uplifting story of true-life heroism unequaled since the publication of Anne Frank’s diary—a story that the young must hear and their elders must remember. Take Alicia’s hand—and follow.
“This memoir is heartbreaking. I hope it will be read by Jews and non-Jews alike.”—Elie Wiesel, author of Night
Her name is Alicia. She was thirteen when she began saving the lives of people she did not know—while fleeing the Nazis through war-ravaged Poland.
Her family cruelly wrenched from her, Alicia rescued other Jews from the Gestapo, led them to safe hideouts, and lent them her courage and hope. Even the sight of her mother’s brutal murder could not quash this remarkable child’s faith in human goodness—or her determination to prevail against overwhelming odds.
After the war, Alicia continued to risk her life, leading Polish Jews on an underground route to freedom in Palestine. She swore on her brother’s grave that if she survived, she would speak for her silenced family. This book is the eloquent fulfillment of that oath.