Publishers Weekly
10/24/2022
This tense WWII historical from Barratt (My Dearest Dietrich) follows a woman’s efforts to help her neighbors survive the Kraków ghetto. Zosia Lewandowska is a widow living in Kraków, Poland, when the Nazis crack down on the local Jewish community in the early 1940s. Caught up in the Nazis’ brutality are Zosia’s neighbors, the Silbermans, who are forced to move to the ghetto. Confronted with rumors of the suffering going on there, Zosia seizes an opportunity to work at a pharmacy in the ghetto and joins a small group of civilians who organize to smuggle food and medicine to those trapped inside. As efforts to “liquidate” the ghetto accelerate, Zosia teams up with the Silbermans’ eldest daughter, Hania, to help the family escape while Zosia grapples with how to live up to her Christian morals in the face of atrocities. The narrow focus on Zosia, Hania, and their associates provides an intimate look at the Holocaust, capturing how faith and selflessness can persist even in dire times. Moving and effective, this inspirational finds light in the darkest of places. (Jan.)
Erica Vetsch
Barratt refuses to look away or ignore the heartbreak and depredations imposed upon the Jews of Poland during the Holocaust. With writing both sensitive and courageous, she brings to life the physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental hardships that those forced into the ghettos endured. In the midst of the sorrow, though, are glimmers of goodness, light, and hope that will encourage the reader that God is still sovereign and that He can be found even in the worst circumstances. Through the power of story, Barratt shows that even the smallest kindness can change a life.
Kate Breslin
As superbly written as it is haunting in its truth, Within These Walls of Sorrow unveils the darkness of inhumanity and the soul-wrenching fate of thousands in Poland during Hitler’s reign of terror in WWII. Once again Amanda Barratt captures with riveting intensity the lives of her characters who fight to survive against insurmountable odds before the maw of the Nazi beast. Yet amid the despair and loss, she shines a fine, beautiful light on the hope, courage, and dignity of these people—enough to make one weep. Within These Walls of Sorrow should be required reading for this generation, and for any who continue to deny the Holocaust. Truly a tour de force.
Amanda Cox
In Within These Walls of Sorrow, Amanda Barratt tenderly honors the experiences of Polish Jews during the German occupation by drawing readers into the inner lives of a few ordinary people who find themselves immersed in unimaginable horrors designed to strip a people of their identity and worth. Barratt weaves an unflinching tale that implores readers to stop and see, not a massive crowd of people, but individual hearts and souls. This book will linger in your heart and mind long after you’ve read the final page and will leave you with the question, Would you choose self-preservation or stand in the face of evil for a slim chance at saving another, aware that everything you have to give can’t possibly be enough?
Stephanie Landsem
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for a friend, and Amanda Barratt’s heartrending novel shows this truth in stark and powerful reality. Amid the Nazi terrors of war-torn Krakow, the love of family and the bonds of friendship withstand the ultimate test of faith and courage to emerge victorious. Within These Walls of Sorrow is an emotional journey that acknowledges both the horror of war and the resilience of the human spirit.
Midwest Book Review
"Amanda Barratt's meticulous research and lush, award-winning writing result in an emotionally moving story about a group of unsung heroes who fought for hope and humanity in the most harrowing of times. A timely reminder of the evils of Nazism in view of the rising presence of authoritarianism in America over the past few years, Within These Walls of Sorrow is especially and unreservedly recommended."
