missbradleys_bookcart 's review for:

Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris

4.0

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This book confused me at first because it did not continue with the story of Lale and Gita but rather focused on Cilka a fellow Auschwitz survivor. There are connections between the characters but this could be read as a stand alone story. I liked this read because it focused on another part of history just as awful as the holocaust, the Russian Gulag system. It is so heartbreaking because just as Cilka is about to be liberated from one hellish existence, she is thrown into another. How could one young person endure so much abuse and still have the capacity to love and care for others? Her story was so engaging that I was hooked right to the end. I especially enjoyed knowing that Cilka was a real historical person who Heather Morris learned about through Lale, which make me even more curious to find out what really happened to her. It is definitely a adult read and there is discussion on her resilience over sexual abuse, so this would be something to consider when putting into the hands of students.