Author Cynthia Engelmann was bequeathed a manuscript from Polish Maria Weychan which carried a very heavy weight and responsibility. Maria had survived the horrors of WWII and wanted to tell her story. In 1945 Stalin rejected claims of war crimes made by Poles and prevented them from talking until they were finally released from their gag order in 1992. But even then opening old wounds was a horrifying contemplation. Maria was a dancer in Poland when Germany declared war. She and her mother were taken to a camp called Poggenburg (one I had never heard of before) where she was humiliated, starved and tortured. At first her manuscript caused a few doubts to an archivist but as he researched he discovered she was telling the truth. There was indeed such a camp as attested to by witnesses and letters and her name appeared. In the book are photographs of gas chamber bunkers and a water reservoir which were key to the story. Maria described the "Jews Test", people and details only someone who had gone through her experiences would know. In addition to her imprisonment, she told her beautiful story about her lost great love. Photographs and illustrations bring Maria's terrible story to life. Told in two parts, the first is background and research and the second Maria's harrowing memoir. If you wish to learn more about this particular camp and/or WWII Nazi control and "liberation" by the barbarous Red Army, do prioritize this. In fact, it should be required reading. My sincere thank you to Matador and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this powerful, important and heartbreaking book.