"We Were the Lucky Ones" by Georgia Hunter - Historical Fiction Book Club - Past Titles

About the Author: Georgia Hunter

Full Name: Georgia Hunter

Background: Georgia Hunter was born and raised in New York City. She grew up hearing stories about her family's experiences during World War II, particularly those of the Kurc family, who were Polish Jews. These family stories served as the inspiration for her debut novel, "We Were the Lucky Ones."

Education: Georgia Hunter earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and American Literature from Brandeis University. Later, she pursued a Master's degree in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England.

Career: Before becoming a published author, Hunter worked in the corporate world, including roles in brand management and advertising. However, her passion for writing and storytelling eventually led her to pursue a career as a novelist.

"We Were the Lucky Ones": "We Were the Lucky Ones" is Georgia Hunter's debut novel, published in 2017. The novel is a historical fiction work that follows the experiences of the Kurc family during World War II. It became a bestseller and received positive reviews for its poignant portrayal of the family's journey and the broader historical context.

Motivation for Writing: Georgia Hunter embarked on the journey of researching and writing "We Were the Lucky Ones" to preserve and share her family's remarkable story. The novel was a labor of love and a tribute to her ancestors who survived the Holocaust.

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Synopsis

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.

Historical Timeline

"We Were the Lucky Ones" by Georgia Hunter is a work of historical fiction based on the author's own family, the Kurcs, during World War II. While the novel is a fictionalized account, here's a timeline that aligns with the events depicted in the story:

1939:

September 1: Germany invades Poland, marking the beginning of World War II.
September 17: Soviet forces invade Poland from the east as part of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.

1940:

Occupation: The Kurc family experiences the hardships of the German and Soviet occupations in Poland.

1941:

June 22: Germany launches Operation Barbarossa, invading the Soviet Union. The Kurc family faces increasing danger and anti-Jewish measures.

1942:

Holocaust Intensifies: The Holocaust escalates, with mass extermination of Jews in concentration camps. The Kurc family members are likely facing persecution and danger.

1943:

Ghettoization: Many Jews are forced into ghettos. The Kurc family may be experiencing the impact of these measures.

1944:

Soviet Advances: The Soviet Union begins to liberate territories in Eastern Europe. The Kurc family may witness changes in the occupied areas.

1945:

End of the War: Germany surrenders on May 7, marking the end of World War II in Europe. The Kurc family, if separated, may hope for reunification.

Post-War:

Rebuilding: The Kurc family, if surviving, faces the challenges of rebuilding their lives in the aftermath of the war.

It's important to note that the timeline provided here aligns with historical events of World War II, and the specific events in the novel may differ as the book is a fictionalized account. Additionally, the novel follows different family members on separate journeys, so their individual timelines may vary. For a more accurate portrayal, reading the novel or consulting additional historical sources is recommended.

Light after the War by Anita Abriel
Call Number: FICTION ABRIEL
Inspired by an incredible true story of two Jewish friends who survived the Holocaust, this sweeping novel of love and friendship spans World War II from Budapest to Austria and the postwar years from Naples to Caracas, perfect for fans of The German Girl and We Were the Lucky Ones . It is 1946 when Vera Frankel and her best friend Edith Ban arrive in Naples. Refugees from Hungary, they managed to escape from a train headed for Auschwitz and spent the rest of the war hiding on an Austrian farm. Now, the two young women must start new lives abroad. Armed with a letter of recommendation from an American officer, Vera finds work at the United States embassy where she falls in love with Captain Anton Wight. But as Vera and Edith grapple with the aftermath of the war, so too does Anton, and when he suddenly disappears, Vera is forced to change course. Their quest for a better life takes Vera and Edith from Naples to Ellis Island to Caracas as they start careers, reunite with old friends, and rebuild their lives after terrible loss. Moving, evocative, and compelling, this timely tale of true friendship, love, and survival will stay with you long after you turn the final page.
Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland
Call Number: FICTION Beanland
Atlantic City, 1934. Every summer, Esther and Joseph Adler rent their house out to vacationers escaping to "America's Playground" and move into the small apartment above their bakery. Despite the cramped quarters, this is the apartment where they raised their two daughters, Fannie and Florence, and it always feels like home. Now Florence has returned from college, determined to spend the summer training to swim the English Channel, and Fannie, pregnant again after recently losing a baby, is on bedrest for the duration of her pregnancy. After Joseph insists they take in a mysterious young woman whom he recently helped emigrate from Nazi Germany, the apartment is bursting at the seams. Esther only wants to keep her daughters close and safe but some matters are beyond her control: there's Fannie's risky pregnancy--not to mention her always-scheming husband, Isaac--and the fact that the handsome heir of a hotel notorious for its anti-Semitic policies, seems to be in love with Florence. When tragedy strikes, Esther makes the shocking decision to hide the truth--at least until Fannie's baby is born--and pulls the family into an elaborate web of secret-keeping and lies, bringing long-buried tensions to the surface that reveal how quickly the act of protecting those we love can turn into betrayal.
The Postcard by Anne Berest; Tina Kover (Translator)
Call Number: FICTION Berest
January, 2003. Together with the usual holiday cards, an anonymous postcard is delivered to the Berest family home. On the front, a photo of the Opéra Garnier in Paris. On the back, the names of Anne Berest's maternal great-grandparents, Ephraïm and Emma, and their children, Noémie and Jacques--all killed at Auschwitz. Fifteen years after the postcard is delivered, Anne, the heroine of this novel, is moved to discover who sent it and why. Aided by her chain-smoking mother, family members, friends, associates, a private detective, a graphologist, and many others, she embarks on a journey to discover the fate of the Rabinovitch family: their flight from Russia following the revolution, their journey to Latvia, Palestine, and Paris. What emerges is a moving saga that shatters long-held certainties about Anne's family, her country, and herself.
Moonglow by Michael Chabon
Call Number: FICTION Chabon
In 1989, fresh from the publication of his first novel, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, Michael Chabon traveled to his mother's home in Oakland, California, to visit his terminally ill grandfather. Tongue loosened by powerful painkillers, memory stirred by the imminence of death, Chabon's grandfather shared recollections and told stories the younger man had never heard before, uncovering bits and pieces of a history long buried and forgotten. That dreamlike week of revelations forms the basis for the novel Moonglow, the latest feat of legerdemain from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
Call Number: FICTION Morris
In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer (the German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners. Imprisoned for more than two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism--but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his privileged position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive. One day in July 1942, Lale, prisoner 32407, comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line to have the number 34902 tattooed onto her arm. Her name is Gita, and in that first encounter, Lale vows to somehow survive the camp and marry her. A vivid, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful re-creation of Lale Sokolov's experiences as the man who tattooed the arms of thousands of prisoners with what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is also a testament to the endurance of love and humanity under the darkest possible conditions.
The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer
Call Number: FICTION Orringer
Paris, 1937. Andras Lévi, a Hungarian-Jewish architecture student, arrives from Budapest with a scholarship, a single suitcase, and a mysterious letter he has promised to deliver to C. Morgenstern on the rue de Sévigné. As he falls into a complicated relationship with the letter's recipient, he becomes privy to a secret history that will alter the course of his own life. Meanwhile, as his elder brother takes up medical studies in Modena and their younger brother leaves school for the stage, Europe's unfolding tragedy sends each of their lives into terrifying uncertainty. At the end of Andras's second summer in Paris, all of Europe erupts in a cataclysm of war. From the small Hungarian town of Konyár to the grand opera houses of Budapest and Paris, from the lonely chill of Andras's room on the rue des Écoles to the deep and enduring connection he discovers on the rue de Sévigné, from the despair of Carpathian winter to an unimaginable life in forced labor camps and beyond, The Invisible Bridge tells the story of a love tested by disaster, of brothers whose bonds cannot be broken, of a family shattered and remade in history's darkest hour, and of the dangerous power of art in a time of war.