Nine-year-old Esther Hautzig's idyllic childhood in Vilna, Poland ceases in June 1941 when the Russian military force her, her father, mother and grandmother into exile in Siberia on charges of "capitalism." During their six long years there, the family bakes in summer, freezes in winter, hungers constantly and toils endlessly. The numbing effects of the family's isolation and deprivation as Jewish deportees stands in heartbreaking contrast to Esther's incongruous optimism and her willful resilience. The horrors grippingly portrayed in this memoir amplify painfully when the family realizes that, because of their exile, they have survived the war and all but a very few of their relatives have not.

Exiled to Siberia

In June 1942, the Rudomin family is arrested by the Russians. They are "capitalists -- enemies of the people." Forced from their home and friends in Vilna, Poland, they are herded into crowded cattle cars. Their destination: the endless steppe of Siberia.
For five years, Ester and her family live in exile, weeding potato fields and working in the mines, struggling for enough food and clothing to stay alive. Only the strength of family sustains them and gives them hope for the future.