Book of the Month: The Burned Letter, by Helene Ritchie.
The Burned Letter, new to the bookshelf at The Quartermaster Store, is a recommended read, especially for those interested in our newest exhibition “Auschwitz. Now.”.
Follow the story of Lidi, a teenager that flees from Hitler and the Nazis and makes her way to New Zealand as a Jewish refugee along with her mother. Labelled as ‘enemy aliens’ in the new country, it is a far cry from the life she once knew. After the liberation of Auschwitz in 1945, Lidi burned a letter containing information about what happened to many of her loved ones. She hoped that by burning the letters she would be set free from all the guilt and trauma she felt, but her efforts were in vain.
This book is the result of Ritchie’s 50-year investigation into who those relatives were and what happened to them. A fascinating and heart-breaking holocaust mystery, beautifully told.
“Helene Ritchie’s dedication and detail in discovering her mother’s story creates a powerful, emotional, and very personal journey of a family and the community in which they lived against the history and consequence of the holocaust, and the disappearance of their world.” John Barnett CNZM, New Zealand Film Producer.
Buy in-store or online.
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