The Secret of Priest's Grotto: A Holocaust Survival Story [Paperback]

Peter Lane Taylor (Author), Christos Nicola (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2007 | Age Level: 11 and up | Grade Level: 6 and up | Series: Holocaust

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Two explorers survey caves in the Western Ukraine and relate the story of how an extended Jewish family, fleeing persecution by the Nazis, lived for two years in a large cave, Popowa Yama, and survived the war.

--This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up—During World War II, as the Nazis closed in, several Jewish families disappeared into the underground labyrinths of Western Ukraine. They stayed hidden for nearly a year, facing danger of discovery, malnutrition, and the disorientation of sensory deprivation. At the end of the war, they emerged triumphant due to ingenuity and family loyalty. Now Taylor, an American writer, filmmaker, and caving enthusiast, follows Nicola's lead to document this saga of survival. The men's own explorations of the Ukrainian caves provide a firsthand account and Taylor's striking photographs bring the story to life. The addition of survivor interviews, historical and contemporary photos, and quotes from survivor Esther Stermer's published memoir, We Fight to Survive, results in an extremely thorough account of events. This overwhelming thoroughness is the book's strength and weakness. On the one hand, it is a researcher's dream of excellent documentation; on the other hand, the detailed descriptions, lists of names, and exacting chronologies weigh down the story and make it somewhat difficult for its remarkable nature to shine through. Sophisticated vocabulary may also prove a challenge for young readers. Despite these drawbacks, the uniqueness of the setting and the power of the historical and modern stories being told will attract both browsers and report writers.—Heidi Estrin, Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Part survival adventure, part searing history, and part discovery story, this amazing account describes how three Ukrainian Jewish families survived the Holocaust by hiding in a cave near their village for 344 days. Sixty years later, in 2003, Nicola explored the cave and found signs of human habitation. His Internet searches eventually connected him with some of the survivors, now living in Canada and the U.S., from whom he learned how 38 people, including toddlers and a 75-year-old grandmother, fled the Nazis and lived in four underground rooms, sealed off from the outside world. Color photos take readers to the site and show some of the people now, while black-and-white historical ones give an idea of the past. Particularly moving are the images of the relics found at the site--a shoe, a mug, a key to a house left forever. Readers will want more about the Ukrainian peasant who helped the families, but there's no denying the power of the story; when they came outside after nearly a year underground, some of the people had forgotten the sun. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Kar-Ben Publishing (April 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580132618
• ISBN-13: 978-1580132619
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #767,946 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #43 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Explore the World > Europe
  • #45 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Teens > History & Historical Fiction > Holocaust
  • #54 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Religions > Judaism

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Epic survival story, May 6, 2007

By 

Allen Padgett (Lafayette GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Secret of Priest's Grotto : A Holocaust Survival Story (Library Binding)

I visited the Priest's Grotto in 1990 and found the story local cavers told us fascinating. However it took the amazing detective work of Cris Nicola to uncover the entire story of survival. The book accurately conveys the cave environment and the conditions found there. Cris and Peter are able to put this into language that non caver types can understand. The book had special meaning to me as I am one of few Americans to actually visit the site. To anyone this story is a moving example of a family fighting to survive under horrible conditions. The photo of the present day family on page 61 brought tears to my eyes. I highly reccomend giving this book a read.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Secret of Priest's Grotto: A Holocaust Survival Story, August 6, 2007

By 

Jewish Book World Magazine (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Secret of Priest's Grotto: A Holocaust Survival Story (Paperback)

Two authors, a cave expert and a photographer, tell this almost unbelievable story of how thirty-eight Jews from a village in the Ukraine survived the Holocaust. They clung tenaciously to life in two different caves for over one year, and somehow managed to come out of the experience physically, mentally, and emotionally intact. We feel admiration and empathy for these determined people who risked everything in order to stay together.
The story of the caves is interwoven with the story of these people's survival. The authors conducted extensive interviews and consulted the memoir, We Fight to Survive, written in 1960 by Esther Stermer, the matriarch of one of the families. This book reads like an adventure story with a suspense-filled plot and fascinating characters. However, this is brutal fact, not artificial fiction. Generous margins, gorgeous photos of the people and places involved, accurate maps and fascinating sidebars make for a handsome book. The only elements lacking are an index and bibliography. One of the survivors, Shulim Stermer, states: "Everyone has it inside of them to survive." Peter Taylor wondered if he would be capable of the same will to fight for his own family's survival. The Secret of Priest's Grotto brings us face to face with this difficult question. Ages 10-14.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful phototographs of an inspiring WW2 story, May 29, 2008

By 

Jill E. Bean (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Secret of Priest's Grotto: A Holocaust Survival Story (Paperback)

This is a very nice book about a little-known story from WWII. It is just incredible what these Jewish families were able to endure to stay alive by hiding in caves, although none of them were experienced cavers. The story of the modern-day cave experts who rediscovered the story is also well done, and the two tales are woven beautifully to create the book. Modern cave photographs and historical images work combine to help tell the story.