The Secret Holocaust Diaries

The Untold Story of Nonna Bannister

By: Nonna Bannister, Denise George, Carolyn Tomlin

Narrated by: Rebecca Gallagher

For half a century, a terrible secret lay hidden, locked in a trunk in an attic... photos, official documents, and scraps of a diary written by a young girl. "The time has come when I must share my life story... some facts from the past that could make a contribution, however small it may be, to the history of mankind."

The Secret Holocaust Diaries is a haunting eyewitness account of Nonna Lisowskaja Bannister, a remarkable Russian-American woman who saw and survived unspeakable evils as a young girl.

For half a century, she kept her story secret while living a normal American life. She locked all her photos, documents, diaries, and dark memories from World War II in a trunk. Late in life, she unlocked the trunk, first for herself, then for her husband, and now for the rest of the world. Nonna's story is one of suffering, torture, and death - but also of incredible acts of kindness that show the ultimate triumph of faith and love over despair and evil.

The Secret Holocaust Diaries is in part a tragedy, yet it's also an unforgettable true story about forgiveness, courage, and hope.

©2009 Nonna Bannister (P)2009 Oasis

Rare perspective of a Ukrainian/Russia Christian

It's actually quite difficult to find survival stories from Ukrainians because the Einsatzgruppen decimated the Jewish population & the Ukrainian people tended to be pro-Nazi due to the repression by the Soviet policies. 60,000 Ukrainians joined the Trawnikis - the Ukrainian division of the SS.

This is a rare find - a Christian child in Ukraine that was exposed to absolute horrors & became slave labor in Nazi Germany.

BUT I WAS THOROUGHLY ANNOYED BY THE CONSTANT "EDITOR'S NOTES". 90% of them were completely unnecessary!

a good book to be read!

she starts off a little slow but very very good. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

Story line

I really enjoyed reading this book and especially hearing the person behind the book. This made me tear up knowing she couldn’t find her momma and to see what she had to endure.

Incredible story, beautiful narration

The first thing that grabbed me was the narrator's voice. So very pleasant that I just wanted to pull up a chair and listen. But she wasn't limited to "sweetness and light." When tragic things had to be communicated, she did so with real feeling. I would happily listen to her again.
True, she stumbled over a few of the foreign words and names, but I couldn't bring myself to take a star away from such an excellent performance.

As for the story: It is absolutely vital that it be told and retold. And don't fear that it will be a depressing book even though much of it is hard. Much of the story highlights the beauty of good and loving hearts which refused to give in to hate. This is an excellent narrative which should be widely heard.

Excellent book

The book itself is fascinating and gives an unusual account of the horrors of World War II by also including the terror of the Stalin regime and not only the Holocaust. The audiobook was enjoyable and the narrator was great though I would have preferred a young girl's voice. Additionally it was a petty that the reading was not checked for proper pronunciation. It was clear that the narrator had the potential to pronounce correctly but especially when she constantly said Schweister instead of Schwester when referring to the nuns it was annoying. I would though like to listen to more books from this narrator.