A Mother's Promise: My true story of surviving Auschwitz and the horrors of the Holocaust, the Sunday Times bestseller
Renee Salt · Kate Thompson
Feb 2025 · Seven Dials · Narrated by Renee Salt, Kate Thompson, Maria Louis, and Rachel Atkins
5.0star
1 reviewreport
headphones
Audiobook
7 hr 51 min
Unabridged
family_home
Eligible
info
reportRatings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More
Want a 47 min sample? Listen anytime, even offline.
Add
About this audiobook
'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.'
'Quite simply the most important book you will read this year' Hazel Gaynor
'An extraordinary read' Lorraine Kelly
'Deeply moving' Daily Mail
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
'Powerful, poignant, and deeply important. A must-read' Elizabeth Bellak
'This is a story the world needs to know' Madeline Martin
'This book travels to the very heart of existence' Joshua Levine
Finally, she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.
'Do not cry when I die.'
'Quite simply the most important book you will read this year' Hazel Gaynor
'An extraordinary read' Lorraine Kelly
'Deeply moving' Daily Mail
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
'Powerful, poignant, and deeply important. A must-read' Elizabeth Bellak
'This is a story the world needs to know' Madeline Martin
'This book travels to the very heart of existence' Joshua Levine
Ratings and reviews
5.0
1 review
About the author
Renee Salt is a 94-year-old Holocaust survivor. Born Rywka Ruchla Berkowicz in Poland in 1929, she was just 10 year old when World War II brought horror to her doorstep. After surviving Auschwitz-Birkenau, Renee was liberated from Bergen-Belsen in 1945. After moving to Paris, Renee met her husband Charles, a member of the British Army, and part of the the liberating forces at Bergen-Belsen. They married in 1949 and lived in North London, having two children and five grandchildren.
Kate Thompson is a journalist and bestselling writer. As well as being passionate about capturing lost voices and untold social histories, Kate's also a library campaigner. Her 100 libraries project celebrates the richness and complexity of librarians work and the vital role of libraries in our communities. Alongside her journalism and writing, Kate is also a podcaster and recently launched her own podcast, From the Library With Love. You can find Kate on Facebook @KateThompsonAuthor.
Kate Thompson is a journalist and bestselling writer. As well as being passionate about capturing lost voices and untold social histories, Kate's also a library campaigner. Her 100 libraries project celebrates the richness and complexity of librarians work and the vital role of libraries in our communities. Alongside her journalism and writing, Kate is also a podcaster and recently launched her own podcast, From the Library With Love. You can find Kate on Facebook @KateThompsonAuthor.
Rate this audiobook
Tell us what you think.
Listening information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can read books purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
