Born Survivors

Three Young Mothers and Their Extraordinary Story of Courage, Defiance, and Hope

By: Wendy Holden

Narrated by: Elizabeth Wiley

Eastern Europe, 1944: Three women believe they are pregnant, but are torn from their husbands before they can be certain. Rachel is sent to Auschwitz, unaware that her husband has been shot. Priska and her husband travel there together, but are immediately separated. Also at Auschwitz, Anka hopes in vain to be reunited with her husband. With the rest of their families gassed, these young wives are determined to hold on to all they have left-their lives, and those of their unborn babies. Having concealed their condition from infamous Nazi doctor Josef Mengele, they are forced to work and almost starved to death, living in daily fear of their pregnancies being detected by the SS.

In April 1945, Priska gives birth. She and her baby, along with Anka, Rachel, and the remaining inmates, are sent to Mauthausen concentration camp on a hellish train journey. Rachel gives birth on the train; Anka at the camp gates. All believe they will die-then a miracle occurs. The gas chamber runs out of Zyklon-B, and as the Allied troops near, the SS flee. Against all odds, the three mothers and their newborns survive their treacherous journey to freedom.

©2015 Wendy Holden (P)2017 Tantor

Critic reviews

"An astonishing and deeply moving work." ( Booklist, Starred Review)

the best survival book

best survival book that I have read and I have listened to Manny of them.I have never written a review this is my first. to be the mothers that went through the camps you have to read it to find out what happened to the children. the best history. I injoyed the narrator's change of voices

Fantastic book

The book was excellent, but I was not a huge fan of the narration accents that were used from German and American to British. The German accents were the worst. That made it super annoying and cringe-worthy. But I could get past it as the book was very good. Absolutely horrific, but a great story of courage and perseverance.

Gripping and heart breaking

A story so sad it’s hard to believe it actually happened. An astonishing tale of three incredibly strong brave women. One of the best Holocaust books I’ve read.

Amazing story of struggle and survival.

This is an amazing story of struggle and survival. I was at some points utterly horrified that humans were forced to exist in such conditions. These three exceptional women were such courageous fighters. I highly recommend both this book and the narrator.

The depths of inhumanity and the amazing strength of humanity

One of the most detailed, vivid, honest portrayals of the concentration camps. The inhumane and deplorable treatment of a fellow human being. It painted the picture so beautifully of who these people were and the lives they had before. The wealth and education and family and the love that surrounded them. That just made the concentration camps that much darker. I told someone about the book and they said “oh I hate stuff like that I wouldn’t want to read it”. I think that is shameful to not want try to understand what someone else endured especially such a large portion of the worlds population. My Uncle was a soldier in Europe and helped liberate a couple camps. My cousin said his Dad only talked about it once and it would be too gruesome to repeat. I think this book has prepared me for that conversation. Masterful work!!! I think every emotion was triggered reading this amazing book.