Hidden Gold
A True Story of the Holocaust
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4.7 • 6 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
The Gold family lived an idyllic life in pre-war Poland, each doing their part to run the family grocery store and tobacco concession. The oldest daughter, Shoshana, had many friends, her sister Esther was meticulous as she worked at the family store, and young David was doted on by them all. But that life is shattered in 1939 when Germany invades Poland and Jewish people are forced into the streets; their homes, schools, and businesses burned.
We follow the Gold family’s journey as they are forced into hiding. Just hours before the Nazis come to take over their current town, their mother has a premonition that today they will have a savior. When that someone appears, they are given hope for the first time since leaving home. But Shoshana has learned to be wary of strangers and knows that her family is in danger.
The Golds hide in a cramped, secret enclosure for twenty-six months. Appalling conditions, starvation, fear of imminent betrayal and capture makes this a heart-stopping testament to the human spirit.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Burakowski's account of her mother's family's experiences during the Holocaust is based on the memories of the one surviving member, youngest child David. The Golds are well-off Jewish merchants in Pinczow, Poland, when anti-Semitism begins to grow. When Nazis invade Pinczow, 12-year-old David, his two sisters, and mother separated from the children's father flee in search of refuge, ultimately spending 26 harrowing months in a hidden crawlspace in a barn. The story of a Polish-Jewish family forced into hiding from the Nazis is by its very nature compelling, and the Golds' familial bond and undaunted spirits are commendable, as is David's memory for detail. However, the book suffers from wooden writing ("Not only was she probing for information, but also she was also genuinely concerned for this woman"), an overwhelming cast of characters (Burakowski jumps from one point of view to another), and occasional errors in the use of Polish names. The final chapter tells the fate of each family member, and a glossary of Polish, Yiddish, Hebrew, and German words is provided. Ages 14 up.
