Overview

One of the oldest living Holocaust survivors recounts her family’s imprisonment at Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen in this moving memoir of love, loss, courage, and hope. ""A deeply moving memoir, beautifully written and researched."" —Lucy Adlington, New York Times bestselling author of The Dressmakers of Auschwitz “I only survived because of my mother's love.” When German soldiers invaded Poland in September 1939, it began a six year journey for then-ten-year-old Renee Salt and her mother Sala. Until their liberation in 1945, Renee and Sala were imprisoned in ghettos and concentration camps, including Auschwitz-Birkenau and Bergen-Belsen. The only light in the darkness and brutality for Renee was the unwavering grasp of her mother’s hand in hers–enduring, against all odds.      It was this unbreakable bond, along with a few miracles, that kept Renee alive. Sala’s staggering courage to defy the will of SS guards saved both her and her daughter from the gas chambers, and the pair survived the deadliest days in Auschwitz’s history.       After suffering the nightmarish conditions at Bergen-Belsen, Renee and her mother were liberated in April 1945–but Sala died soon after they were saved. To this day, Renee attributes her survival to the love and bravery of her beloved mother.       Do Not Cry When I Die is an incredibly moving and deeply crucial book that tells the shocking story of one of the oldest Auschwitz-Birkenau and Bergen-Belsen survivors–and the mother’s love that saved her life.

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Reviews

”Do Not Cry When I Die is a powerful testament to a mother's love during unbelievable hardship. From ghettos to concentration camps to slave labor camps, Renee and her mother Sala miraculously stayed by each other's side and held each other up. Renee's story of resilience and survival is powerful, poignant, and deeply important. A must-read.“ —Elizabeth Bellak, co-author of Renia's Diary ”An eloquent, moving, fascinating account told with sincerity and style. This is a book that will stay with me for a long time. The personal nature of Renee’s testament intermixed seamlessly with Kate’s research makes a very full, engaging and touching read. The searing, unflinching honesty of the account takes the reader deep into a period of time we should never be allowed to forget in an involving and very thought-provoking way.“ —Anna Stuart, author of The Midwife of Auschwitz

Praise for Do Not Cry When I Die: “A poignant memoir of the raw loss and horrors experienced by survivor Renee Salt, not only through the Holocaust, but in the daily struggles following liberation. Renee Salt and Kate Thompson come together in powerful unity in a way that is both deeply moving and unforgettable. This is a story the world needs to know.” —Madeline Martin, New York Times bestselling author of The Booklover's Library “A powerful account of a young girl’s incredible resilience in the face of the unthinkable horror of the Holocaust, Renee Salt’s memoir is needed now more than ever. Interspersed with Kate Thompson’s intricate research, this memoir follows Renee as she is ripped from a happy childhood in Poland and forced into ghettos and concentration camps. However, her story does not end there but follows her liberation and—against all odds—the life she built after the war. A riveting read.” —Julia Kelly, international bestselling author of The Lost English Girl “Do Not Cry When I Die is a powerful testament to a mother's love during unbelievable hardship. From ghettos to concentration camps to slave labor camps, Renee and her mother Sala miraculously stayed by each other's side and held each other up. Renee's story of resilience and survival is powerful, poignant, and deeply important. A must-read.” —Elizabeth Bellak, co-author of Renia's Diary “An eloquent, moving, fascinating account told with sincerity and style. This is a book that will stay with me for a long time. The personal nature of Renee’s testament intermixed seamlessly with Kate’s research makes a very full, engaging and touching read. The searing, unflinching honesty of the account takes the reader deep into a period of time we should never be allowed to forget in an involving and very thought-provoking way.” —Anna Stuart, author of The Midwife of Auschwitz

”Do Not Cry When I Die is a powerful testament to a mother's love during unbelievable hardship. From ghettos to concentration camps to slave labor camps, Renee and her mother Sala miraculously stayed by each other's side and held each other up. Renee's story of resilience and survival is powerful, poignant, and deeply important. A must-read.“ —Elizabeth Bellak, co-author of Renia's Diary

Author Information

Renee Salt, BEM, was born Rywka Ruchla Berkowitz in Zduńska Wola, Poland, in 1929, and is a Holocaust survivor and educator. Renee and her mother survived both Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen. After the Holocaust, Renee returned to Poland to try and find any surviving members of her family and found an aunt who was living in Łódź, who she moved in with. From there they moved to Paris, where Renee met her husband Charles, who was a British military policeman who helped to liberate Bergen-Belsen. They married in 1949 and had two children. Renee lives in northwest London and has 5 grandchildren. She regularly speaks in schools, to organizations, and to the government about her experiences during the Holocaust. Kate Thompson is a journalist and bestselling author. As well as being passionate about capturing lost voices and untold social histories, Kate's also a library campaigner. Her 100 libraries project celebrates the richness and complexity of librarians’ work and the vital role of libraries in our communities. Alongside her journalism and writing, Kate is also a podcaster and recently launched her own podcast, From the Library With Love. You can find Kate at her website: www.katethompsonmedia.co.uk, on Facebook @KateThompsonAuthor, on X @katethompson380 and on Instagram @katethompsonauthor.

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