In 2018, Georgia Hunter published her debut novel about a Polish family suffering as Jews. Their epic story of survival is breathtaking and beautiful.
I was taken aback by the family’s persistence and love throughout the most harrowing years of World War 2. This is a book that adults should and need to read; you end by being inspired.
From Amazon:
It is the spring of 1939 and three generations of the Kurc family are doing their best to live normal lives, even as the shadow of war grows closer. The talk around the family Seder table is of new babies and budding romance, not of the increasing hardships threatening Jews in their hometown of Radom, Poland. But soon the horrors overtaking Europe will become inescapable and the Kurcs will be flung to the far corners of the world, each desperately trying to navigate his or her own path to safety.
As one sibling is forced into exile, another attempts to flee the continent, while others struggle to escape certain death, either by working grueling hours on empty stomachs in the factories of the ghetto or by hiding as gentiles in plain sight. Driven by an unwavering will to survive and by the fear that they may never see one another again, the Kurcs must rely on hope, ingenuity, and inner strength to persevere.
An extraordinary, propulsive novel, We Were the Lucky Ones demonstrates how in the face of the twentieth century’s darkest moment, the human spirit can endure and even thrive.
So, I didn’t catch the memo that this became a show, but it’s an 8 episode series on Hulu and wow. This is such a beautiful – true to the story – series. The actors were brilliant; and, the subtle (and not-so-subtle) moments of the series brought to life this family. While there were graphic, terrifying moments, this show is so good and so important. I rarely watch tv, and even more rarely recommend a series, but this one is so well done, I’d recommend to many adults.
Actors from Series meet Kurc grandchild
