About the Book

At the outbreak of the Second World War, Clara Kramer was a typical Polish Jewish teenager, occupied with thoughts of friends, school and family. But when the Germans invaded her small town, Clara and her family were forced to go into hiding, taking refuge with the family’s housekeeper and her husband. Confident that the war would be over in a matter of weeks, 18 people crowded into a small basement to wait.

That few weeks turned into nearly two years of confinement, hunger and constant fear of discovery. Clara’s War recounts that terrible period of time, as well as the bravery, determination and faith that allowed Clara to survive this terrifying ordeal.

Clara (Schwarz) Kramer was born in 1927 in Zolkiew, a town in the Galicia section of Poland (currently a part of the Ukraine). In World War II, she and her family hid from the Germans in an underground bunker for 20 months. After the war, she met her husband Sol Kramer in a Displaced Persons camp, eventually settling in Elizabeth, NJ. The Kramers are active in organizations such as the Jewish Educational Center; the Jewish Federation; the Israel Bonds Organization; the Jewish Family & Children’s’ Service; the Union County YM & YWHA; and the Holocaust Resource Foundation at Kean University, which they helped to co-found.

“A superlative memoir of survival ... Few wartime memoirs convey with such harrowing immediacy the evil of the Nazi genocide ... Her book is a model documentary.” — Daily Telegraph (London)

Critical Praise

“This vividly detailed and taut narrative is a fitting tribute to the bravery of victims and righteous gentiles alike.” — Publishers Weekly

“A superlative memoir of survival. . . . Few wartime memoirs convey with such harrowing immediacy the evil of the Nazi genocide. . . . Her book is a model documentary.” — Daily Telegraph (London)

“Utterly compelling. At times, the tension is as high as in any thriller designed to stop your heart.” — John Clare, The Sun-Herald (Australia)

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Product Details

• ISBN: 9780061728617
• ISBN 10: 0061728616
• Imprint: Ecco
• On Sale: 04/20/2010
• Trimsize: 5.310 in (w) x 8.000 in (h) x 0.830 in (d)
• Pages: 368
• List Price: $16.99
• BISAC1 : BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Survival
• BISAC2 : BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Jewish
• BISAC3 : HISTORY / Holocaust