Summary

Chapter 16 opens in March 1944 and Lale helps a young man escape who is scheduled for execution after a failed attempt to run away. In Chapter 17, Gita and Lale continue to meet on Sundays whenever possible, with Lale bribing her kapo with food. Gita tells Lale that Cilka has become the “plaything” of Schwardzhuber and Lale declares that she is a hero for choosing to survive rather than resisting and thereby getting herself killed (156). In Chapter 18, Baretski tells Lale that they are “like brothers,” and asks for his help in smuggling in a pair of nylons for his girlfriend’s birthday (159). One day, American aircrafts fly over the camp and prisoners shout upwards in hope, calling on them to “drop the bombs” (161). The guards respond by sending bullets down from the towers like rain. Lale realizes with devastation that two years have passed since...