The Freedom Circus: One family's death-defying act to escape the Nazis and start a new life in Australia

The Freedom Circus: One family's death-defying act to escape the Nazis and start a new life in Australia

$34.99 AUD $12.00 AUD

Availability: in stock at our Melbourne warehouse.

Condition: SECONDHAND

NB: This is a secondhand book in very good condition. See our FAQs for more information. Please note that the jacket image is indicative only. A description of our secondhand books is not always available. Please contact us if you have a question about this title.
Author: Sue Smethurst

Format: Paperback

Number of Pages: 320


A remarkable true story of one family's daring escape from Poland during the Second World War. 'A story of extraordinary bravery, resilience and love that needed to be told.' Heather Morris, author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz Written by award-winning author and journalist Sue Smethurst, whose husband is Mindla and Michael's grandson, The Freedom Circus is an epic story of courage, hope, humanity, survival and, ultimately, love. When Sue Smethurst first sat down with her grandmother-in-law and asked how she survived the Holocaust, she was shooed away. By that time Mindla was in a Melbourne Jewish nursing home with other survivors, her body ageing but mind still razor sharp. 'Why do you want to know?' she'd ask. 'My story is nothing special.' As death began approaching Sue became a little more pushy. She knew Mindla's life had to be recorded and they were running out of time. Each week she'd bring cake from her favourite shop in St Kilda, a bottle of the brightest nail polish she could find, a handful of old pictures and her tape recorder. They'd chat and paint Mindla's nails, and with each 'chat' her story unfolded. It was beyond anything Sue could have imagined. The tale of how Mindla and her husband Michael Horowitz, a circus performer for the famous Staniewski Brothers, escaped from Poland with their young son and embarked on a terrifying journey through the USSR and Middle East to Africa and ultimately to safety in Australia, is nothing short of extraordinary.



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Description
NB: This is a secondhand book in very good condition. See our FAQs for more information. Please note that the jacket image is indicative only. A description of our secondhand books is not always available. Please contact us if you have a question about this title.
Author: Sue Smethurst

Format: Paperback

Number of Pages: 320


A remarkable true story of one family's daring escape from Poland during the Second World War. 'A story of extraordinary bravery, resilience and love that needed to be told.' Heather Morris, author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz Written by award-winning author and journalist Sue Smethurst, whose husband is Mindla and Michael's grandson, The Freedom Circus is an epic story of courage, hope, humanity, survival and, ultimately, love. When Sue Smethurst first sat down with her grandmother-in-law and asked how she survived the Holocaust, she was shooed away. By that time Mindla was in a Melbourne Jewish nursing home with other survivors, her body ageing but mind still razor sharp. 'Why do you want to know?' she'd ask. 'My story is nothing special.' As death began approaching Sue became a little more pushy. She knew Mindla's life had to be recorded and they were running out of time. Each week she'd bring cake from her favourite shop in St Kilda, a bottle of the brightest nail polish she could find, a handful of old pictures and her tape recorder. They'd chat and paint Mindla's nails, and with each 'chat' her story unfolded. It was beyond anything Sue could have imagined. The tale of how Mindla and her husband Michael Horowitz, a circus performer for the famous Staniewski Brothers, escaped from Poland with their young son and embarked on a terrifying journey through the USSR and Middle East to Africa and ultimately to safety in Australia, is nothing short of extraordinary.