I Promised I Would Tell

by Sonia Weitz

Through poetry and testimony, Sonia Schreiber Weitz gives life to the millions of children, men and women who were murdered during the Holocaust. Sonia was 11 years old when her family and other Polish Jews were herded into ghettos and forced to live in treacherous conditions that often led to death. Of the 84 members of her family, Sonia and her sister Blanca were the sole survivors. To help cope with her emotions, Sonia turned to writing poetry at an early age. Today she teaches and lectures to adults and children about the Holocaust.

Genres: Holocaust, Nonfiction, Poetry, History, Memoir, School, Biography

105 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Tiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Not very welll known but riveting and amazing how the human spirit survives under extreme dire circumstances!

[D.S. Marquis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Promised I Would Tell by Sonia Weitz is a powerful punch of nonfiction. The book is Ms. Weitz's testimony and poetry during the Holocaust. From the Krakow Ghetto at age 12 to freedom at Mauthausen at age 16, this book is both a factual and poetic survivor story. In one hundred pages, Weitz tells this story in her own words and where the atrocities grow too large to bear, she relies on poetry to get her message across.

Lovers of history, memoir, and poetry this one is for you. I highly recommend this book. The message in it is simply, don't forget what happened in Germany during WWII and don't forget all those beautiful people who suffered and lost their lives, and don't forget the people who helped to save them.

I started reading this book after dinner. I couldn't put it down. I finished it before bed. Then I stepped outside in the snow to let my dog out. Wrapped in my warm coat I pondered on how Sonia, and millions of others had to walk and stand in the snow with no coat at all from 1939-1945, and I cried.

[Linda Mercer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Book was interesting. Sonia Weitz told her story about how she survived living in concentration camps during the Holocaust in WWII. Sonia wrote a lot of poetry in the book. One poem, called the Tree of Life was about her dad planting two trees in their yard when her and her sister were born. After the War was over, Sonia went back to see her house, and only one tree was alive, and she thought it was a miracle, which gave her the idea for the poem.

I don't like non fiction that much. There was too much real life sadness for me. There were a lot of words that were not English, which made it hard for me to understand.

I liked the part where the American soldier saved Sonia and her sister when the war was over. If someone likes nonfiction and wants to learn about the WWII and the Holocaust, I would recommend that they read this book.

[Saya · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know, I know. Giving a book witten about the Holocaust by a woman who actually survived the Holocaust one star is the moral equivalent of setting a puppy on fire. So many great books about this subject are out there, this just isn't one of them.

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very sad, but is also very interesting. You get to see the holocaust from the point of view of a child holocaust survivor. You also get to see how she reflects on her childhood as a mature adult. This story is very fascinating, and is also a tearjerker.

[Yael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great and very moving book. It shows you how it felt during the holocaust and how scary it was. I felt like I was really there! Everybody should read this book especially if you are learning about the holocaust.

[Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that this novel not only describes Sonia's experiences, but it also describes her feelings and emotions at the time. Throughout the hole story, her life kept worsening, but she found a way to fight through it.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was extremely moving and heart breaking. Sonia's story was horrific, I couldn't put the book down.

[Carly Pepper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a very good book. I like it because its about a girl talking about how she survived in the Holocaust.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it really interesting to learn about sonias life.

[Rachel]

This is a moving book and gave up close insight about the holocaust

[Julianna Grossman · Rating 4 out of 5]

a true story that has stayed with me. this book is so well done. brava.

[Guy B · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a true story about Sonia and how she survived the holocaust.

[Tess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was very emotional, because she was dealing with something not many others were dealing with.

[Sadie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Depressing, but amazing writing! Enjoyed it very much.

[Jane Mendelsohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetry is beautiful.