Into the Forest: A Holocaust Story of Survival, Triumph, and Love

Frankel (War Dogs: Tales of Canine Heroism, History, and Love) has written a fascinating and captivating account of one Jewish family, the Rabinowitzes, living in Poland before and during World War II. In 1942, the Nazis forced Polish Jews, including the Rabinowitz family, into ghettos. From the Zhetel Ghetto, the Rabinowitzes escaped to the nearby Białowieza Forest, where they built shelters and lived for two years, surviving bitter cold, illness, starvation, and the ever-present threat of being caught. Frankel writes that luck was on the Rabinowitzes’ side when they found old family connections who kept them safe until the Red Army seized control of the area in 1944. Fast forward to Brooklyn, NY, in 1954, when the story comes full circle because of a chance meeting. Frankel draws on primary source materials, including interviews with members of the Rabinowitz family, to create a beautifully written account of escape and survival that will engage readers from the start. She shares her subjects’ stories with sensitivity and care.