Last Witnesses

LAST WITNESSES paints a gripping portrait of the personal consequences of war as seen through the most innocent of eyes-those of children.

Nobel Prize-winning writer Svetlana Alexievich, whose work is described by the Swedish Academy as "a history of emotions. . .a history of the soul," delves into the traumatic memories of children who were separated from their parents during World War II-most of them never to be reunited.  Some of these boys and girls grew up in orphanages or were raised by grandparents or extended family, others were taken in and cared for by strangers who risked punishment for such acts.  Still others lived on their own or became underage solders.

Forthright and riveting, these bravely told oral histories of survival reveal the heart-rending details of life in wartime will reminding us that resilience is possible, no matter the circumstances.