Two Rings: A Story of Love and War
Kirkus Review“Werber's story is wholly engrossing, written with exceptional immediacy and attention to detail… A deeply affecting addition to Holocaust literature.”Booklist“Among all the shelves of Holocaust memoirs, this book stands out for the quality of the spare, honest, passionate narrative of survivor Millie Werber… A story certain to spark discussion.”The Weekender“Every now and then a book comes along that so clearly draws the line between catastrophic devastation and minor nuisance that it’s impossible to ignore… It is impossible to not be moved by the writing in this book, and it is impossible to not be awed by the fact that Werber’s survival was simply based on luck, chance and, often, the kindness of others.”American Jewish World“Charmingly told… Millie kept much of this private for 60 years, until a son persuaded her to tell it to Keller. The result keeps you turning the pages.”Jewish Week“While she’s decades younger than Alice Herz-Sommer, Millie Werber is also an inspiring figure. ‘Two Rings: A Story of Love and War,’ which she wrote with Eve Keller (Public Affairs) is a beautifully written memoir of surviving the Holocaust as a teenager. Werber, who now lives on Long Island, reveals the unlikely heroes of her life, and also a powerful and tragic wartime love story that she had kept hidden in the years since.”Anton Newspapers“Werber and Keller movingly convey the hopelessness of being a teenager, a widow, and a factory worker at a Nazi-operated facility, with no end to the casual cruelty and violent deaths in sight. In addition, Werber’s 1943 marriage, her time at Auschwitz in 1944, and subsequent relocation to Lippstadt, Germany in 1945 are covered in great detail and make for a compelling read.”Sydney Morning Herald / The Age(Australia)“A heartbreaking tale of lost love… These stories are tributes to those they loved and lost, and whom they want not to be forgotten…In between all of this are descriptions of the brutality in the camps. Ultimately, this will leave the biggest impression on readers, most of whom - like this one - will struggle to comprehend the evil that men and women are capable of perpetrating against others.” Curled Up with a Good Book“Aside from the appealing love story that gives this memoir its title, what sets apart the story of Millie Werber—a Jewish teen in Poland forced into the Radom ghetto, then a munitions factory, and finally Auschwitz—from the others is the incongruously poetic beauty of the writing, very similar to that found within the pages ofI Have Lived a Thousand Years. While attempting to take notes for this review, I found myself instead copying down reams of quotes, one more stunning than the next… The power ofTwo Rings: A Story of Love and Waris that, through this beautifully immediate writing, the reader observes the details of Hitler’s Final Solution in a new way, through the eyes of an innocent and perceptive young girl.”Eloisa, James, NPR.org“A memoir that reels between pain and joy… You will cry readingTwo Rings, but despite its sorrow, this memoir is full of deep delight in the human condition, in our ability to love in the midst of war and in the face of death.”