Under a Cruel Star: A Life in Prague 1941-1968 Study Guide & Plot Synopsis

Under a Cruel Star: A Life in Prague 1941-1968 Plot Summary

Preview of Under a Cruel Star: A Life in Prague 1941-1968 Summary:

AHeda Margolius Kovály née Bloch, a Jew, and her family were forcibly evacuated from their home in Prague to the Lodz Ghetto during October 1941. They remained there as conditions deteriorated and the family lost at least one cousin during this period of incarceration. The family otherwise remained more or less intact for three years until about September 1944 when they were forcibly evacuated to Auschwitz concentration camp. There, Kovály's mother was immediately gassed and burned and her father was separated from her. Kovály reports that none of her relations survived the holocaust. Kovály survived the initial selection at Auschwitz and was sent into forced labor. She performed various tasks for about two months, including one prolonged period doing backbreaking labor at a brick factory. In October, 1944, Auschwitz was evacuated in the face of the Russian advance. Kovály and other girls were force-marched west. With several friends, Kovály escaped...
(read more)