A review by lilyreads01
Always Remember Your Name: A True Story of Family and Survival in Auschwitz by Andra Bucci, Tatiana Bucci

4.0

Always Remember Your Name by Andra and Tatiana Bucci is a haunting and hopeful memoir. In 1944, the two sisters were arrested with their mother, aunt and cousin and deported to Auschwitz. Upon arrival they were separated from their mother but she reinforced the need to “always remember your name”. That their identity couldn’t be taken from them too. It was a message that not only gave the girls strength but helped them to be reunited after the war had ended. Of the 230,000 children deported to Auschwitz only a handful survived including Andra and Tatiana. The memoir is told through their eyes as they were as children which makes their story even more powerful and disorienting as we the reader try to grasp how such a place can be endured and understood by a child. It is also a book about their lives after the war how they were shaped by their experiences but also found the ability to move forward with hope, courage and understanding. It is a remarkable journey. The book beautifully explores the light and shade of the authors story as children who clasped hands in solidarity against darkness and who as adults with their own families now extend a hand to others so that history should never be repeated or forgotten. 4.5 stars ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback.