The Untold Story of Nonna Bannister - The Secret Holocaust Diaries

This book chronicles one person's tragic memories of life during Hitler's reign of terror. Nonna tells of the love of her family, and describes the horrors they endured unto death. Courage beyond the ordinary, and heroic survival despite the demonic evil released upon defenseless men, women and children are presented with the underlying hope of "never again."

This book gave a different story about the Holocaust. We know millions of Jewish people died in the death camps. This woman was not Jewish but Russian. She was sent to labor camps. I was not aware that Russians that didn't leave when Germany invaded were not welcomed back to Russia. These people had no country to return to safely. The story is memorable, heart warming, scary, and a great read.

Once I started reading this, I couldn't stop. Nonna's diary entries provided a fascinating insight into life in Russia during the war. Admittedly, I skimmed over the poems because they didn't mean much to me. But reading the different aspects of everyday life more than made up for those. Anne Frank is the popular girl diarist of WWII, but Nonna's portrayal of the struggles through winters and Nazi occupation came to life in her words. If you're interested in different parts of WWII history, read this book.

I purchased The Secret Holocaust Diaries because the Holocaust is a period in history that I find particularly fascinating to read about. Overall, this book did not disappoint. The reason I did not give it five stars is because there is a section toward the beginning that goes into great detail about many of Nona's ancestors that I found to be rather long and tedious. I was glad I stuck with it though, since the rest of her story is riveting with its detailed accounts of her horrifying experiences being the only member of her family to survive the Holocaust. Nona was a brave and inspiring woman, and her story is haunting. The book is an easy read and one I am happy to recommend if you have liked other books on the same topic!

I thought, "Oh another Holocaust book..." This is about such a different experience. It not only addresses unbearable conditions during the war, but a new perspective of life in the early days of Stalinist repression in the Ukaine. It was lovely reading about the fond memories of a young girl growing up, and the increasing travails in her life. I am amazed that these diaries were kept secret from even her closest family until close to her death.

This is the true story of Nonna Bannister, a Russian girl who was in a German work camp during World War II. She kept a diary her life events that she did not share with anyone until she was much older. I thought this memoir was interesting, but it was not easy reading due to the topic. Nonna's faith in God and her ability to forgive was incredible.

This book is an important glimpse into WWII and Holocaust. It is hard to understand how terrible the Jews and others were treated by the Nazi's. From other books I've read, I know that Nonna's reluctance to talk about her life during that time is not uncommon among Holocaust survivors. The story of Nonna was well written and I recommend it to all who want to learn more about the Holocaust and any of its survivors.

This very well written book covers life in Russia in some very difficult times before WWII began. Nonna Bannister covers life as she experienced it from about the time Joseph Stalin came into power in Russia through WWII. It shows how the Russian people lived and the atrocities the comunist regime under Stalin treated them. It then covers the advance of the Germans into Russia and how they interfaced with the population. As hardships increased significantly and the future looked grim, Nonna and her mother felt their best option was to move to Germany and work in a labor camp. It covers their train ride from Russia to Germany and then their life in Germany in "Labor Camps". It provides first hand information on the holocaust. Nonna's mother was ultimately executed in the concentration camp at Flossenberg. Nonna experienced some good things but far more bad things in her early life. Throughout all this she maintained a positive attitude and her religion which allowed her to forgive those who took away so much.
Today there are many who will tell you thet the holocaust never took place and I suppose there will probably be a lot more as time marches on. This book should be read by every American. It provides a first hand view of what life was like in Russia as well as Germany.

This book, like others on this subject, has brought to light the tragic struggles of families and individuals who were caught in the terribly evil conditions that existed in Soviet Russia under Stalin and then in Nazi Germany. What a tragedy when men treat their fellow humans in this way, and we need to be constantly reminded that these were genuine, living individuals who experienced these events. Sadly, the same is yet true in many parts of our world today.
This is a first person account that is helpful for those of us who have never passed through such stressful times.

This story comes from different perspective. Nonna Bannister was Russian/Ukrainian girl whose grandfather was a Cossack loyal to czar Nikolas II. After the Russian revolution, the family was forced to hide their heritage to avoid persecution from the communist government. Her story later gives insight into the horrifying Nazi occupation of the Ukraine during their retreat from the Soviet Army.

Although Nonna does not go to a concentration camp, she still endures plenty of hardships, including the loss of her entire family at a young age. Her story is touching and a reminder of how important it is to cherish our time with our loved ones, as well as a reminder that many non-Jews also suffered at the hands of the Nazis.

R.I.P. Nonna, your expirience has been well revieved by us (readers). I enjoyed even the last page of this book. I never heard the Russian side of WW2 in school they usually only teach what the Jewish community went through. But I am more than glad that there are books like this one that give you another point of view. I really felt your pain Nonna. Everything you saw, ate, felt, I saw it, felt and ate it to. I love your childhood's description it was lovely. I know that now that you left this cruel world you are back with your family, with your mother, father, your dear brother Anatoly, your baby sister tassia, your grandmother and the rest of your family, and of course petrovich and everything is great now, no more pain, no more suffering, no more tears and confusion.

With all respect I would like to give some feedbacks to the editors. There are plenty of "editor's note" in the book and what it does it distracts the reader from Nonna's writing. There is also an appendix and the events set in chronological order, at the last pages of the book, so I would say that some of the "editor's note" are not really neseceray.

Also, I would like to point at some readers that found this book "boring". I would like to say that if this is not the type of book of your interest or if you don't really pay attention to this book and the way its written and its porpurse, of course you will find it boring. This is a very interesting book and I would love to share it with all of my friends and community.

Enjoy.

The story told in the main character's own words. It is a little rambling and inconsistent, as one would expect of an old woman remembering events from many years earlier. But the story itself needs to be heard. It is an incredible inside view of what it was like to survive the rule of Stalin and of Hitler. This short book is well worth the time spent to read it. What a shame that Nonna did not connect with a good editor before she died and left this crude treasure behind.

I enjoyed this book, haunting and sad as it was. I was riveted from the first page and couldn't put it down. I enjoyed how she spoke of her life before the war and concentration camps. While uncomfortable to think of such a happy child forced into labor, I feel that this was necessary to show the dichotomy of her life before the war and her life after. This is a well-written historical account that anyone who is interested in this time period will enjoy.

I just finished reading The Secret Holocaust Diaries and was pleased that the book was even better than I had hoped! This story is very different from most stories from the holocaust era as it deals with events that are not usually explored. What was going on in Russia during this time period? How did people who were not Jewish or helping the Jewish population get caught up in all of this? I have always known that the motives and actions of Hitler and his supporters were pure evil, but I now have a deeper understanding of what was going on in Europe during this period of history.

This is a quick read of a fascinating story. I'm glad I picked it up.

Inspiring story of a young girl's strength, faith and courage in the face of unbelievable horrors and sorrow and how her ability to forgive those who did such monstrous things allowed her to let go of the past and make a good life for herself and her new family.

This book was an exceptional read throughout. The incredible story of Nonna Bannister is told and how she, along with millions of others, suffered by the Holocaust in the severe weather of Russia. Affected by war, Nonna loses her closest family members, including her parents. However, she refused to lose hope at any moment and miraculously survived the Holocaust. She describes her life very thoroughly during the war about how she barely survived the harsh conditions, even after losing close family members in unfortunate horrors. An extremely well written and touching story of Nonna and millions of others severely mistreated and harassed during the Holocaust, it is definitely a must read for anyone wanting to read about the untold, dark secrets of the Holocaust.

At times hard to follow because of her memories coming to light the way they did, but was well worth reading thru them. What this family had to endure was simply horrific and I pray others never have to endure these horrible atrocities. May history never repeat itself and I pray Nonna and her family are finally at peace. God bless them for what they had to endure at the hands of such monsters.

This amazing story of survival during the Russian Revolution and then Nazi Germany is both gripping and inspiring. I had never thought about a non-Jew suffering the Holocaust atrocites as a victim. Nonna Barrister began life as a privileged young Russian girl whose family was friends with the last Russian Czar. Her father was killed during the Russian Revolution. This was only the beginning of a life transformed. When the Nazis invaded and took her and her Mother to a labor camp, it was clear that her life would never be the same.

I will never forget the part of her story that is retold about a young Jewish boy saving her life while losing his own in front of her eyes.
Her determination to survive during the darkest days is an inspiration.
To go from there to become an American wife and mother living the American dream is truly a life almost beyond belief. The authors have done a beautiful job of weaving this untold story from Nonna's secret diaries as shared by her family.

Great read and very touching. I appreciate her story so much. I wish the book had more pictures. For example, on several occasions, the book stated pictures survived till this day, but they were not shared.

Prior to reading this book I had the opportunity to be present to hear and meet Nonna's husband and son as they told about their dear wife/mother and the book.

Even though Nonna is no longer alive, this book tells everything that she went through during the holocaust (from her hidden writings) but kept secret all those years.

A must read and I feel it would be good for middle and high school students also.

This book is indescribable. It must have been very difficult for Nonna's children to take on this task. I'm not dismissing "The Diary of Anne Frank," but this gives an insight of the life of non-Jewish people during WWII. It is a must read.

This book is basically Nonna's transcription of her diaries from her childhood, mixed in with later memories' and cleaned up by her husband and a couple of editors. I am not sure whether the format is exactly the same in print, but in the Kindle version of the book, I found the editors' interjections in the story to be extremely disruptive and obnoxious, like that one guy at the office who always has to throw in his two cents because he believes he knows more about every subject than anyone else in the room. For example, Nonna talked about her mother painting pictures for a guard and then a few sentences later mentioned Mr. Xxxxx (she actually used a name which I am not remembering at the moment) and how when his paintings were done, something happened. There's a big dividing line and red text calling out "Mr. Xxxxxx:" and the editors go on to explain here that when she mentions Mr. Xxxxx, she is probably talking about the guard. Umm, yeah. I guessed as much. And other times when Nonna switched from present tense to past tense, they called out in bright red text the fact that this part here is probably something she wrote later when transcribing the diaries later in life. And when Nonna mentioned something that the Nazis did, the editors interjected to claim the Nazis didn't do that thing. Maybe they didn't in general but how do you know they didn't in this case? GAH! Just stop interrupting!!! Several times the editors' interruptions explained how Nonna had photos of this person or that place, and they exist today. If that is the case, why weren't any of these photos included in the book? Why is every chapter divided by the same photo of... presumably pillow ticking?
That being said, if you can forgive the obnoxious editors and just pay attention to Nonna's story, she had some lovely memories of her childhood and her family. And then she survived the horrors of the holocaust.
Basically, the explanation at the front of the book telling me that Nonna wrote her diaries on little scraps of paper throughout her childhood, and then years later translated and added to them made me understand that the writing was from two different times in her life. I did not need to then be reminded of it every time things jumped around. And if the editors' other notes were in the form of tiny footnotes or something, it would have let me have more info if I wanted or needed it without so jarringly disrupting the story.

Nonna Bannister hid the true story of her past even from her husband and children until the 1980's, and asked that it only be shared after her passing. Although like all Holocaust stories there is horror and pain, over half of this book is her memories of her childhood as a granddaughter of a Cossack to the last Tzar, and a childhood rich in the old Russian traditions that still lingered in some areas for the privileged until WWII was well underway. She lost her entire family, but carried their memories and teachings in her heart until she was ready to share them with others. Not as easy read, but captivating and well worth it. Rest in Peace Nonna.

This helped me understand more of what truly occurred during to war and purveyed the feelings of the time very well. I do believe it should not be forgotten. What a strong person to be able to create a life for herself where the good times outweighed the bad in the long run. Amazing Nonna was able to keep all of the pieces together so well.

This very personal and in-depth account of the days leading up to and throughout WWII is eye opening. I loved the personalization an d the different perspective. It is not an account of living inside a concentration camp, but illustrates struggles of non-Jewish, but still persecuted individuals and families during this blemish on world history.

An horrendous time in history, not really that long ago, told through the eyes of a child and how it affects everyday living. The beauty of a child's view is their resilency to continue daily living.with optimism. Surviving through the most difficult situations imaginable, these people carry on with hope in God to help them. What faith, what strength, amazes me.

Because these are diaries, the book lacks a smooth flowing narrative . But the stark reality that this is a true picture of how a child dealt with living in a country in war. Bombs falling, soldiers invading your home, fear, terror, sickness and more, all gave me thankfulness for all we enjoy in our country,. .

We all have heard about the atrocities of the Holocaust but somehow, Nonna's retelling of events made this a difficult, yet compelling read. There were times I could not lay it down. We cannot afford to ignore history or we will be destined to relive it. Be prepared before you read, but nothing is fictionalized and we cannot ignore the truth. I am thankful for those who gave hours for this to be in our hands and retold. This book could even be read by high school Literature students and much dialog could be generated. Truly enjoyed this story!

Nonna Banister chronicles her life under first Stalinism and then Naziism as World War II began. She worked in one of Nazi Germany's labor camps. She tells of some of the horrors she experienced firsthand. This is not a book you read for pleasure, but it is a book you should read. We must never forget, nor should we let our children forget.

Taken from her secret diaries, Nonna Bannister tells her story many, many years later of her life in the Holocaust. An amazing story of survival in the concentration camps of Nazi Germany. Weaving between stories of her time as a prisoner and present day as she recalls those memories of long ago, this book will keep you reading. I greatly enjoyed this read.

The writer was a non-Jewish Pole living in Russia, and her narrative gave me an excellent perspective on what others went through during Stalin's and Hitler's reigns of terror. I found it amazing that she kept her notes throughout all of the chaos, went on to lead a productive life, and after many years transcribed them. I'd recommend this book.

This is probably one of the best written accounts of a Holocaust survivor that I've read in the last ten years. I lost sleep because I didn't want to stop reading until I was at the book's end. Nona's life story touched me and I'll remember her forever.

What a wonderful story of courage through such evil times! Nonna Bannister lived through the Holocaust and shares her experiences with us in this book. She didn't become bitter. After enduring such hardship, she decided to live the happiest life she could. She shows that no matter what happens in life, your attitude & faith matters.

This story was great and heartbreaking at the same time. You put me in the shoes of each person. She and her mother was truly Godly women. How could anybody go through what they went through and come out of it with Loving and caring for anybody, it amazes me what God can do. Loved this story and Thank you for sharing it with everyone. God Bless

This is a great read. Easy read and very interesting. I love anything from the Holocaust and any thing diary format, so it was perfect for me. It is nice as a read before bed because the diary chapters and good breaks to end the night on.

WHAT A BRAVE STORY DURING A HELLISH TIME WHEN ANYONE COULD BE A VICTIM OF THE NAZI'S ,ANYTIME THEY CHOOSE.TO THINK EVEN SOMEONE IN YOUR FAMILY COULD TURN YOU IN ,FOR ANY REASON IS TERRIFYING.THIS IS A BOOK YOU WILL NOT WANT TO PUT DOWN .AND YOU WILL FIND TEARS IN YOUR EYES.

The premise was interesting, fascinating, actually--but this account of a Ukranian woman and her family during the holocaust was written in a somewhat boring, elementary school report-like manner. It's a shame that this account wasn't better written because people don't realize how many lives of non-Jews were affected by the holocaust.

Holds your attention awaiting what is next. 6 million Jews died due to Holocaust and yo hear their experiences. But, 12 million total suffered, yet I knew little of their circumstances. I learned from this reading experience. The book was historical but also included emotions, pain, hope and forgiveness. An excellent read.

This book tells the story of a Russian family and town affected by WW2. The beginning is a lot of family relationship explanation, so the most interesting part, which is their war survival story, comes later in the book. Stick with it; it's a good story. We must not forget what happened during this tragic time in history.

I was really intrigued by this book. It was interesting to hear how Nonna grew up in the Ukraine and all of the wonderful memories of her family. It was heartbreaking to read what happened to Nonna and her family in the 30s and 40s. I couldn't put this book down. Nonna seemed like a courageous and wonderful person.

This was difficult to read because of the content and the scattered way it was written. There is no doubt that it is authenic excerpts from the diary that she kept for years. Also a record of many of her killed or missing family members. A tale of a very courageous woman who survived and made a life for herself...