... a compelling and seamless portrait of a young woman who managed to survive and save others through cunning bravery and compassionate leadership.

Magda’s unusu­al per­spec­tive is fas­ci­nat­ing not only for its insight about how the SS ran the camps, but in how she occa­sion­al­ly glimpsed the unof­fi­cial side of mon­strous Ger­mans.

... heartbreakingly sad but also somehow hopeful.

In this harrowing personal narrative, Magda’s experience as a block leader is shared in heartbreaking detail.

Written in part to clarify Hellinger’s true relationship to her captors, this book offers a much-needed perspective on the roles many so-called collaborators played in helping fellow concentration camp inmates survive the Holocaust.