Mala's Cat: A Memoir of Survival in World War II
The incredible true story of a young girl who navigated dangerous forests, outwitted Nazi soldiers, and survived against all odds with the companionship of a stray cat.

Growing up in the Polish village of Tarnogrod on the fringes of a deep pine forest, Mala Szorer had the happiest childhood she could have hoped for. But at the age of twelve, as the German invasion begins, her beloved village becomes a ghetto and her family and friends reduced to starvation. She takes matters into her own hands and bravely removes her yellow star, risking sneaking out to the surrounding villages to barter for food.

It is on her way back that she sees her loved ones rounded up for deportation, and receives a smuggled letter from her sister warning her to stay away. In order to survive, she walks away from everything she holds dear to live by herself in the forest, hiding not just from the Nazis but hostile villagers.  She is followed by a stray cat who stays with her—and seems to come to her rescue time and time again.

"Malach" the cat becomes her family and her only respite from painful loneliness, a guide, and areminder to stay hopeful even when faced with unfathomable darkness. 

Filled with remarkable spiritual strength that allows readers to see the war through the innocence of a child's eyes, Mala's Cat is a powerful and unique addition to the Holocaust canon. 
1139746535
Mala's Cat: A Memoir of Survival in World War II
The incredible true story of a young girl who navigated dangerous forests, outwitted Nazi soldiers, and survived against all odds with the companionship of a stray cat.

Growing up in the Polish village of Tarnogrod on the fringes of a deep pine forest, Mala Szorer had the happiest childhood she could have hoped for. But at the age of twelve, as the German invasion begins, her beloved village becomes a ghetto and her family and friends reduced to starvation. She takes matters into her own hands and bravely removes her yellow star, risking sneaking out to the surrounding villages to barter for food.

It is on her way back that she sees her loved ones rounded up for deportation, and receives a smuggled letter from her sister warning her to stay away. In order to survive, she walks away from everything she holds dear to live by herself in the forest, hiding not just from the Nazis but hostile villagers.  She is followed by a stray cat who stays with her—and seems to come to her rescue time and time again.

"Malach" the cat becomes her family and her only respite from painful loneliness, a guide, and areminder to stay hopeful even when faced with unfathomable darkness. 

Filled with remarkable spiritual strength that allows readers to see the war through the innocence of a child's eyes, Mala's Cat is a powerful and unique addition to the Holocaust canon. 
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Mala's Cat: A Memoir of Survival in World War II

Mala's Cat: A Memoir of Survival in World War II

by Mala Kacenberg
Mala's Cat: A Memoir of Survival in World War II

Mala's Cat: A Memoir of Survival in World War II

by Mala Kacenberg

eBook

$11.99 

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Overview

The incredible true story of a young girl who navigated dangerous forests, outwitted Nazi soldiers, and survived against all odds with the companionship of a stray cat.

Growing up in the Polish village of Tarnogrod on the fringes of a deep pine forest, Mala Szorer had the happiest childhood she could have hoped for. But at the age of twelve, as the German invasion begins, her beloved village becomes a ghetto and her family and friends reduced to starvation. She takes matters into her own hands and bravely removes her yellow star, risking sneaking out to the surrounding villages to barter for food.

It is on her way back that she sees her loved ones rounded up for deportation, and receives a smuggled letter from her sister warning her to stay away. In order to survive, she walks away from everything she holds dear to live by herself in the forest, hiding not just from the Nazis but hostile villagers.  She is followed by a stray cat who stays with her—and seems to come to her rescue time and time again.

"Malach" the cat becomes her family and her only respite from painful loneliness, a guide, and areminder to stay hopeful even when faced with unfathomable darkness. 

Filled with remarkable spiritual strength that allows readers to see the war through the innocence of a child's eyes, Mala's Cat is a powerful and unique addition to the Holocaust canon. 

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781643139043
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Publication date: 01/04/2022
Sold by: SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format: eBook
Pages: 288
Sales rank: 321,881
File size: 7 MB

About the Author

Mala Kacenberg (nee Szorer) was born in Tarnogrod, Poland in 1927. As World War II broke out, Mala found herself having to fend for herself at the tender age of 12. Surviving by her wits, courage and the help of a guardian angel (her cat Malach), she was the sole survivor of her family. Mala immigrated to London with other Jewish refugees after the war, where she raised a large beautiful family, living long enough to be blessed with many grandchildren.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Book 1 Flight

1 The River Runs Peacefully 3

2 Strange Lessons at School 8

3 A Varied Education 11

4 Summer Turns to War 17

5 A Different Kind of Soldier 20

6 My Guardian Was an Angel 30

7 A Dark Plan 35

8 A Young Provider 41

9 Ransoming the Men 48

Book 2 Shelter in the Forest

10 Goodbye, Family; Goodbye, Childhood 55

11 Auntie Aniela 65

12 The Forest and the Partisans 75

13 The Survivors in Tamogród 84

14 The River and the Raft 89

15 The Final Round-up 99

16 Respite with the Gromykas 110

17 A Last Look at Tarnogród 119

18 The Labour Exchange 126

19 A Run-in with Zosia 141

Book 3 Amid the Enemy

20 Alias Stefania 153

21 Letters from Home 168

22 Aroused Suspicions 176

23 Besting an Officer 192

24 Glimmers of Hope 196

25 Shared Secrets 209

26 A Jewish Soldier 217

27 My Name Is Mala Szorer 223

Book 4 Return to Poland

28 Followed by Trouble 239

29 The Soldier Sanford 260

30 The Yeshivah 266

31 The Girls in Dom Mondziejowski 269

32 The Final Escape 271

Book 5 A New Life

33 Journey to England 277

34 Finding Relatives 288

35 A Shidduch 294

Glossary 305

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