A Mother's Promise: My true story of surviving Auschwitz and the horrors of the Holocaust

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'My name is Renee Salt. I am 94 years old, I am a witness to history. I am a survivor.

This is my attempt to make sense of a story which I can scarcely believe happened to me. Some of these pages are drenched in horror, but every so often a little light of hope and humanity shines through.

There is love, too - so much love.'

Renee and her mother Sala never left each other's sides. From invasion to liberation, September 1939 to April 1945, as Renee was marched, herded and shoved from ghetto to camp, there was one constant. One hand which clutched hers - her mother's. Every day for six years, mother and daughter were tangled together in hell. From ghettos to slave labour, from Auschwitz to Bergen-Belsen, they were a powerful source of solace and hope to one another.

Renee knows that she is only alive today because of her mother, that it was the sheer force and power of her love that gave them both something fragile but beautiful to cling to in an ugly, depraved world. It was her mother who hid her, lied to the SS, went right when she was directed left - whose small actions had lifesaving consequences. Now, for Renee, the need to share has finally overcome the desire to forget. This is a love letter to a mother eighty years in the making.

Author Bio

Renee Salt is a 94-year-old Holocaust survivor. Born Rywka Ruchla Berkowicz in Poland in 1929, she was just 10 year old when World War II brought horror to her doorstep. After surviving Auschwitz-Birkenau, Renee was liberated from Bergen-Belsen in 1945. After moving to Paris, Renee met her husband Charles, a member of the British Army, and part of the the liberating forces at Bergen-Belsen. They married in 1949 and lived in North London, having two children and five grandchildren.

Kate Thompson is a journalist and bestselling writer. As well as being passionate about capturing lost voices and untold social histories, Kate's also a library campaigner. Her 100 libraries project celebrates the richness and complexity of librarians work and the vital role of libraries in our communities. Alongside her journalism and writing, Kate is also a podcaster and recently launched her own podcast, From the Library With Love. You can find Kate on Facebook @KateThompsonAuthor.