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‘Mama, it’s me.’ I held her hand in mine, hoping it would give her the strength to hold on.
Finally, she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.
Do not cry when I die.’



From invasion to liberation, September 1939 to April 1945, as Renee was marched from ghetto to camp, there was one constant. One hand that clutched hers – her mother’s. Every day for nearly six years, mother and daughter were bound together in hell. From Auschwitz-Birkenau to Bergen-Belsen, they were a powerful source of solace and hope for one another.

The strength of Sala’s love gave them both something fragile yet beautiful to cling to in an ugly, depraved world. It was her mother who hid Renee, lied to the SS, went right when she was directed left – whose small actions had life-saving consequences. Now, for Renee, the need to share has finally overcome the desire to forget.

A Mother’s Promise is a love letter to a mother eighty years in the making.

*****

‘Will stay with me for a long time… A beautiful account, so movingly told’ Anna Stuart, author of The Midwife of Auschwitz

Reviews

Rachel Hore, bestselling author of The Love Child
This is a most extraordinary memoir, distinctive for its detailed recollection and its fearlessness in recording the truth of what happened.
Heather Dune Macadam, author of 999: The Extraordinary Young Women of the First Transport to Auschwitz
A moving portrayal of one young woman's heroic life story... Renee's journey is one of hope through the ashes of the past.
Julia Kelly, bestselling author of The Lost English Girl
A powerful account of a young girl's incredible resilience in the face of the unthinkable horror of the Holocaust, Renee Salt's memoir is needed now more than ever. A riveting read.
Elizabeth Bellak, author of Renia's Diary
A powerful testament to a mother's love during unbelievable hardship... Renee's story of resilience and survival is powerful, poignant, and deeply important. A must-read.
Joshua Levine, bestselling author
Extraordinary and deeply impressive. Books are often described as 'important'. Others so-described should step aside. This book travels to the very heart of existence.
Madeline Martin, author of The Booklover's Library
Renee Salt and Kate Thompson come together in powerful unity in a way that is both deeply moving and unforgettable. This is a story the world needs to know.
Natasha Lester, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Orphan
An unforgettable story about the power of love, a story that reminds us how important hope is, a story that proves to us that human beings are remarkable and endlessly inspiring.
Lucy Adlington, bestselling author of The Dressmakers of Auschwitz
A privilege to read... a deeply moving memoir, beautifully written and researched. A fascinating, heart-breaking story.
Hazel Gaynor, bestselling author of The Last Lifeboat
Quite simply the most important book you will read this year. It will stay with me for a very long time.
Anna Stuart, author of The Midwife of Auschwitz
This is a book that will stay with me for a long time... A beautiful account, so movingly told.