This story is one of pain and profound sadness ¿ but also of great strength and love ¿ and it begins long before I was born. My parents are both from Poland, but they were born to two very different worlds. By the time the Second World War had ended, their two worlds had become one. I knew there were deep family secrets, but I wasn¿t sure exactly what they were. My mother and father spoke in Polish when they wanted to talk about something not meant for my ears. Over time, I was able to pick up on the language and glean scraps of information. I figured out that they had survived terrible things under Hitler¿s regime, and that there were awful reasons why I had few living relatives. The events of my parents¿ lives are a testament to the indomitable nature of the human spirit. I would like this book to help others see that, even in the worst of times, there is hope; that eventually goodness can prevail. There are many Holocaust stories out there, and each one deserves to be told. I believe it is our duty not only to honor those who had to suffer during this incredibly dark moment of human history, but to ensure that the rest of us will remember how easy it is for evil forces to dominate where there is widespread indifference.