Winner of the 2024 New York Book Festival Award

Inspired by Real Events

Regina Anuszewicz looked forward to visiting her sister in Bialystok for a late afternoon stroll along the Bialy River. It was June 1906, and it should have been an exciting time to stay overnight in the women's boarding house. However, a violent pogrom blasted those plans as a rage of violence shook the town and Regina's hopes. Russian soldiers swarmed the streets and homes, stomping up to her sister's boarding house, forcing Regina to hide inside the wardrobe, barely able to breathe as she heard screams and people begging for their lives. The trauma of that day shaped Regina's life and every decision she made as she moved through the days and years, coloring her approach to every event that took her from Poland to the United States and the four children she sought to protect.

“...inspired by historical events. A carefully crafted and simply riveting read from start to finish…” —Midwest Book Review

"Pogroms rip at the hearts and minds of all of us, yet the stories of those who fought for survival must continue to be told. In Regina’s story, seen through the revelations of her granddaughter, Spieler takes the reader through an intimate look at Regina’s trials and travails and reveals the consequences of her decisions that impacted the generations that followed. A triumph for the soul!" –Carole Bumpus, Author 

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