Description
Mina Kimmel grew up in a small town in Galicia, eastern Poland, around the time of World War I. Because her hometown had no secondary school, she left home at 13 to pursue her education, and finally realized her dream of studying medicine in Czechoslovakia. There she met her future husband, Leon Deutsch, a fellow medical student, and spent some of the happiest years of her life.When the Nazi regime came to power, Mina and her husband lived each day in the shadow of the Holocaust. The young couple returned to Poland and fled further and further eastward with their infant daughter. They were put in charge of fighting a typhus epidemic in 17 villages under the Nazi occupation, and were later forced to hide in an underground bunker beneath a chicken coop until they were liberated by the Russians.The story ends in Canada, where Mina and Leon again had to struggle to establish themselves in their new country.
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In this compelling personal memoir of courage and endurance, Dr. Mina Deutsch reveals her memories of living in the shadow of the Holocaust. Mina Kimmel left her home town in Poland at age 13 to pursue an education. Settling in Czechoslovakia Mina met Leon Deutsch, a fellow medical student who would become her husband. The young couple's happy life, however, was soon torn apart by the rise of the Nazi regime. Mina's Story follows their journey eastward through Nazi-occupied Europe. Finally liberated by the Russians after having to hide in an underground bunker, Dr. Deutsch's narrative continues in Canada, where Mina and Leon again have to struggle to establish themselves in a new and foreign country. Mina's Story is a memorial to all those who died under Nazi persecution, a record of the many atrocities suffered, and, finally, an example of heroism, perseverance, and the indestructible will to live.
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