Why a Booktrail?
1939: In the eye of the war. That tore the world apart. A mother wants a son. A daughter needs a mother
The Polish Girl
What you need to know before your trail
Winter 1939: Danusha and her family are forced to flee their home when the Nazis invade Poland. Danusha’s mother, Anna, changes her name and secures a position as a housekeeper in a German doctor’s mansion in Kraków where Gestapo meetings are hosted in the kitchen…
Her secret is their salvation, but what Danusha remembers most is the solitude, with only her baby brother and the girl in the mirror for company.
All Anna ever wanted was a firstborn son. All Danusha ever wanted was a mother who would love her like a firstborn son. Instead she got one who could look a Nazi straight in the eye but not into the eyes of her own daughter.
It is only years later, when their neighbours gather in the living room to hear Anna’s stories, that Danusha finally realises her mother was never a cold unknowable sea but a storm-wracked sky – sometimes bright, sometimes dark, and always watching over her.
Locations
Reset- Poland - Krakow
- A: Montelupich Street
- B: Marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego
- C: Krakow Old town
Travel Guide
Poland and Krakow during the war
A heartbreaking visit to Krakow in WW2 when we follow Danusha and her family who flee their home when the Nazis invade Poland. Danusha’s mother gets a job as a housekeeper in a German doctor’s mansion in Kraków where Gestapo meetings are hosted in the kitchen. To say the danger is too close for comfort is an understatement.
This is a story of sacrifice and survival during war time which is sadly relevant now more than ever given the situation in the Ukraine. Inspired by real life stories, this is the story of so many Danushas around the world.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: The Polish Girl
Destination/Location: Krakow, Poland Author: Malka Adler Departure:WW2
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