As a Holocaust survivor, Aviva Ptack counts herself among the lucky ones. To see oneself as fortunate in unfortunate, even dire circumstances, takes an exceptional person and makes for an exceptional memoir. Ptack’s account of her time in Lithuania after the Nazi invasion of that country has been pieced together from memories recovered many decades later and taped accounts from her adopted parents who brought her up as their own. That has been augmented by a carefully-researched historical commentary and context provided by Richard King, whose skill as a trained historian shines throughout the account. Ptack weaves a fascinating portrait of resilience, ingenuity, pluck and survival in times that brought out both the best and the worst of human kind. But Aviva Ptack’s work is more than a memoir. As the scene shifts to Canada and she recounts the good fortune of her life in Montreal with her husband and later her children, she traces her search for identity and her need to understand how where she came from shaped who she became and who she is today. No matter the reason you pick up this book, you will be captivated and rewarded for your reading.

Gazette