This story is about Edith who was sent to Auschwitz in 1944 aged just sixteen, along with her Mother and sister.
In a life before this she had been a ballerina, a heartbreaking story and told through the eyes 0f a young girl painful and emotional.

I haven't read Edith's original memoir The Choice, but I've since requested to reserve it at my local library. If this beautiful yet harrowing book is anything to go by I know I'll enjoy it.

When I say 'enjoy it', it leaves me with a pit in my stomach, these aren't the right words to express when reading about Edith's awful experience.
I appreciated her sharing with us her life before during and after the war. Which is something that actually sets her memoir apart from others. We got a full picture of the true devastation, not just physically but mentally also.

The message given to us through Edith's words are that we always have a choice, and what a valuable memo to be reminded of. Edith's strength, resilience and determination speak volumes and it left me feeling positive despite the horrors she experienced.

I highly recommend everyone read this book not just the younger audience.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC of this book!

I absolutely adore Edith Eger’s writing and The Choice is one of my favourite books, so it came as no surprise that I loved this one just as much. Though I can see how this has been adapted to suit a young adult audience, I don’t feel that it takes away from the messages or severity Eger speaks of throughout. The way in which she writes about what she faced is astounding in that she manages to be so self-aware and allowed me as a reader to empathise with such horrific experiences, without having ever dealt with anything so traumatic.

Despite being such a dark subject, Eger’s knowledge of psychology shines through in allowing you to understand how she was affected by her experience in a way that made me unable to put this book down. The way Eger speaks of her life now, and the happiness she is surrounded by, makes this book incredibly poignant and left me feeling positive in spite of the horrors she describes.

I would highly recommend this book to all audiences, not just young adults, and feel it’s especially important to understand this history given the state of the current world.

An unforgettable memoir, written by Edith Eger which chronicles before, during and after the war.
She is 16 when she is taken to Auschwitz with her Mother & Sister.
This poignant, personal narrative tells of the trauma & suffering the prisoners endured but most of all, it's full of hope & resilience, to ensure that history is never forgotten.
A must read for everyone!

Thankyou to Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There are many books written in this genre but few are about Jews who lived outside Germany. This features a Hungarian family living in Czechoslovakia at the outbreak of the Second World War. As a result the poignancy of the Nazi Regime’s reach so far from its core is laid bare. It is not a book for the faint hearted as it is hard hitting with regard to the hardships. It is well written and does have an interesting end.

Edith was sent to Auschwitz in 1944 aged just sixteen, along with her Mother and sister.
In a life before she had been a ballerina.
This is her heartbreaking story and told through the eyes 0f a young girl.

I’ve not read Edith’s other book but this one was harrowing yet honest and beautifully written. Describing her life from just before WW2 breaks out to the late 1980’s. She takes us from life as a free teenager to living in Auschwitz to the 80’s when she revisits Germany and Poland. Thanks to Edith, her family and publisher. Thanks also to NetGalley

I feel so very sad at what human beings do to each other. That Edith survived the horrors of the concentration camps is a testament to her resilience and inner strength. This book should be read by all high school students. It is a story that must be remembered and never happen again.

Well written but harrowing as to be expected really. It is an extraordinary journey from a happy every day normal life through the fear and terrors of transportation. The descent into the horrors of Auschwitz and the dreadful treatment of people treated worse than animals. The biggest sadness of how close some came to be liberated and how many died in the last days of the war.

Emotional, traumatic, yet somehow heartwarming.
Edith is the youngest daughter on a Jewish family in Hungary (or Czechoslovakia, as was, depending on who was ruling the area!). Under neither was it a good time to be a Jew.
Edith is a teenager, with nothing to worry her, until war breaks out - the Second World War. Eventually, already ostracised, the rounding up begins end we read of the trauma of concentration camps, long walks and cover ups.
Deeply moving.

The Ballerina of Auschwitz: Young Adult Edition of The Choice (kindle) by Edith Eger was a very moving account of her incarceration and survival in German concentration camps. This book is a dramatic retelling of The Choice. Release date October 3rd 2024.

Edith along with her Mother Father and two sisters were taken to Auschwitz and on their arrival her Father sees the words above the gates "Work sets you free." and he assumed that he was to work here until the war was over along with his family.

Age only sixteen Edith who was a trained gymnast and ballerina along with her sisters would see their parents taken away from them and only a trail of smoke left behind as their lives were wiped out by the gas chambers within the camp.

Edith's body will be broken but her spirit and mind will survive the holocaust as she repeated the words that was her mantra “No one can take away from you what you've put in your mind.”

Edith will dance in front of the Angel of death Josef Mengele for a loaf of bread which she shared. Edith will witness malnutrition, bitter cold, cannibalism, cruelty and torture.

I have also read The Choice (book 1) by Edith which was also very moving.

This is the story of Edith Eger who at the age of 16 was sent to Auschwitz along with her mother and sister. Her father had already been taken and another sister had avoided the selection. It’s never easy to read the story of a survivor, however these stories need to be told, and read.

Edith and her sister survive the camps and death march and Edith went on to become an internationally renowned psychologist whose specialty is post-traumatic stress disorder. Somehow, despite every horror she witnessed Edith always held on to a future with hope. She is a true inspiration of possibility, hope and resiliency.

If you have read her first book The Choice you will recognise the story as this book is a condensed version of it. She says she did this to bring her work to a younger audience. It is suitable for everyone and needs to be read by all.

Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Having previously read and loved The Choice by Edith Eger, I was excited to read this retelling ‘The Ballerina of Auschwitz’

At 16years old Edith was sent alongside her mother, father and sister to Auschwitz. We learn of the horrors she and her family endured in the camps and a true memoir of survival. Although this book recollection didn’t focus on dancing much, prior to arriving in Auschwitz Edith was an aspiring gymnast and ballerina.
We learn of loss within Egers family alongside her first love Eric. Despite all the events endured and extreme illness by Edith and her sister, both fight for survival upon liberation were both sisters return to their home time and discover their older sisters’ survival still living in their family home.

Despite this being an abridged version of ‘The Choice’ it’s still a very powerful, moving read full of resilience.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC of this book!

I decided a while back I wouldn't rate nonfiction and memoirs anymore, so I would skip the rating here if I could. My rating here is solely based on the quality of the writing.

I've read a few memoirs from holocaust survivors and I always appreciate their strength in sharing their stories with such detail about the horrors they endured and survived.

According to the author's note, this is a retelling of her memoir "The Choice," geared towards a wider audience. Apparently, most of this book is quite different from "The Choice" and a lot more personal. I haven't read "The Choice" so I can't compare, but this felt indeed very personal and open. I also appreciate the author's intentions in revisiting this story and her message of resilience and hope.

One thing I have to say is that Palestine is mentioned as an escape route Jews considered during the holocaust, and the author provides no thoughts or opinions about her views on Palestine or what's currently happening. I found this a little odd because she inserts current thoughts and opinions about the things she's writing about from her past. So it stands out to me that there's no reflection about or condemnation of the current genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.

Perhaps this retelling was written long before October 7th, but this genocide started long before then and I believe the author would've known that, so, I don't know... In the author's note, the author also mentions a lot of the issues that plague the world today, like suicide, depression, etc., but genocide isn't included in that list, and I would say it's definitely a big issue that's affecting a lot of people.

I feel some type of way about that, but it doesn't take away from how powerful I think this short book was.

I have read lots of this genre of book. I thought it would focus more on the ballerina but there was very little dance related content, I did however like to story, the sisters managing to survive in the face of the horror that was faced during the war.

Compelling read.

The horrors of prison camps in WW2. Told by a warmhearted, strong woman.

Edith and her sister are sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau and from the vey first moments you will be swept up in the most hopeful frame of mind that your protagonist can survive this ordeal. Such strength and hope is rarely seen. Edith you are an inspiration back then and now in your thoughts and actions.

Bless you

It feels weird to rate this book, I'm not a fan of rating true accounts because how can you say that a person's perception or memories of a situation were good or bad.

That being said this was a really moving account of survival against all odds. I would recommend this who wants a personable account.

I have read Dr Eger's other books and found this one equally as powerful and moving. Through her trauma of being a holocaust survivor, she teaches us how to live. Showing us that we always have a choice in how we respond to any situation

"That I was victimised but him not a victim, that I was hurt but not broken, that the should never dies, that meaning and purpose can come deep in the heart of what hurts us the most"

The bravery and the choice of telling her amazing story. It hurts deep to your soul and nearly made me cry. But one of the best books I ever read.

"The Ballerina of Auschwitz" by Edith Eger wasn't a read that I've expected. It's a story of 16 years old Edith sent with her mother and sister to Auschwitz camp. It's a tale of survival and strength required to live and see the end of the WWII. It gives us a portrait of her life before and their family dynamics.
I have an enormous respect for all survivors along with all people who lost their lives during any war or conflict therfore its very hard for me to say that this book seemed to me to be lacking emotions. In my life I've not only read books about surviving the camps but also was talking to many people who experienced it first hand.
Personally I can only give it a 3,5 stars as the retelling wasn't made by any professional writer but it is a still a personal view. It's a quick read and worth a shot.
Thanks to @netgalley for the early copy in exchange for honest review