BOOKLIST, BY ANNE O’MALLEY

Young Ruth “Tutti” Lichtenstern and her family narrowly escaped death during the Holocaust. In this novel, her daughter Fishman recounts her mother’s remarkable tale, incorporating documents, photographs, and factual data in a unique treatment that blends historical narrative with fictionalized story. Germans by birth, the family moved to Amsterdam in 1936, where businessman Heinz Lichtenstern hoped it would be safer for Jews, after Hitler had come to power. Just how false that hope was becomes grimly apparent as the Nazi death machine descends over Europe. Fishman plots her family’s gripping tale in stages—restrictions on Jewish businesses and school attendance; yellow stars and relocations; their removal to one work camp and then to the transport labor camp, Theresienstadt. The spirited, realistic dialogue brings the characters to life, and the documents—transport lists, identity cards—enhance without cluttering the flow. A fortunate break saved Heinz’s life after he had been selected for a death camp. That the family survived to have this powerful, heartening tale told cannot fail to move readers.

THE US REVIEW OF BOOKS, MICHELLE JACOBS

"When Tutti returned, she said, “Mammi, these stars are so the Germans can make sure we're following their rules, aren't they?"

"Yes, Mädchen. You're so smart."

Tutti Lichtenstern was an infant when her family left Germany in 1936. By then, the Nazis had been passing anti-Jewish laws for three years and had stripped Jews of their citizenship, so Tutti's family fled to the Netherlands. The Lichtensterns thought they’d be safe in Amsterdam, but four years later, they realized they hadn't moved far enough: on May 10, 1940, the Dutch army surrendered to the Germans, and Tutti and her family, along with all the other Jews, faced life-changing restrictions . . . and then, mortal danger.
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In October 1943, believing that their newly acquired Paraguayan passport would protect them, the family came out of hiding; but they were nevertheless deported to Westerbork, a camp in the Netherlands, where Tutti’s father, a metals trader, made himself useful. The camp sorted metals for the Third Reich's war machine. With the help of a non-Jewish friend on the outside, Tutti's father not only protected his family but by increasing productivity helped save hundreds of his fellow Jews' lives by putting them to work sorting and—to stymie the Nazis—mixing up the metals. Eventually, though, the family was deported to Theresienstadt in Czechoslovakia.

With every page of this excellent novel of survival are stories about Tutti’s acts of bravery, friends who risked their lives for others, and poignant moments of selflessness and sweetness. The family’s secret signal, a loud five-note whistle, comes into play throughout the book, connecting the Lichtensterns to each other—at dramatic moments of separation and reunion—and to the reader.

Young readers will learn history through this personal story, which is told chronologically through short chapters. The fact that 75% of the Jews in the Netherlands perished makes this narrative even more remarkable. Each chapter is enhanced with photographs and documents, which add authenticity to this powerful account written by Tutti’s daughter. History comes alive in Fishman’s capable hands as a writer telling the story of her mother and achieving the family’s eternal desire to always remember.

RECOMMENDED by the US Review

READERS' FAVORITE, 5 STARS, GEREE McDERMOTT

The true story of Tutti’s Promise by K. Heidi Fishman is a riveting tale about the Holocaust, told from the perspective of a little Jewish girl named Tutti. At the outbreak of WWII, Tutti’s family finds themselves in perilous danger and hide with sympathetic friends. When Tutti’s father obtains a false passport for the family, he believes they are safe, but they are not. Little Tutti doesn’t understand why she has new restrictive rules, but she is brave and adjusts to a life of deprivation in the concentration camp. Tutti’s family endures horrific hardships, but they do what they can to survive. She and her younger brother are ecstatic when they discover orange peels tossed onto the ground by prison guards; her father lowers himself to steal vegetables at great risk; her mother gets the children out of bed at four in the morning to bathe with cold water in her attempt to keep them as healthy as she can. Having experienced dreadful adversities, Tutti makes a special promise.

Tutti’s daughter, K. Heidi Fishman, does a magnificent job telling the heartbreaking story of Tutti’s Promise. It is flawlessly written and heartrendingly real, complete with authentic historic documentation and photographs, translations, and an informative glossary. As distressing as it was to read about Tutti and her family’s fear, pain, anxiety, and suffering, I was completely engrossed and could not put it down. I have read other true stories about the Holocaust, but none touched my soul as Tutti’s Promise has.

KIRKUS REVIEWS

Fishman dramatizes her mother’s World War II survival story in this debut novel.

The Netherlands, 1940. German forces have crossed the Dutch border and are seizing control of the country. The family of 5-year-old Ruth “Tutti” Lichtenstern—German Jews who had moved to Amsterdam in hopes of escaping Hitler’s anti-Semitic policies—attempts to live normally, but the clan soon gets wind from a friend that Hitler has big changes planned for the Netherlands’ Jewish businesses: “First, the firms will have to register,” and once Germans “are in control of the companies, they will ship the Jewish workers and owners to Poland.” Tutti notices changes herself: she is forced to attend a new school exclusively for Jewish students, and she must wear a yellow star whenever she is outside the house. At first, Tutti’s father’s position in the metals industry protects the family from deportation—though it doesn’t save her grandparents, who are collected during a Nazi raid. Despite her father’s efforts to keep them safe, the Lichtensterns are caught on a terrible path that leads them to the Westerbork transit camp. While there, Tutti’s father tells her he’s hidden some money in her doll and that she must keep that fact a secret (“ ‘I promise,’ she told him solemnly. ‘I’ll take care of her…and I won’t tell anyone’ ”). Eventually, the Lichtensterns are sent to Theresienstadt. After the long years of their deteriorating situation, Tutti attempts to keep a vow to her mother: “To always try to do good in the world—by speaking up when you see evil, and by behaving in a way that you know is right.” Fishman tells the tale of her mother’s family with elegance and a great sense of suspense. The choice to novelize the account, rather than present it as pure nonfiction, helps to flesh out the characters in a way that makes them more fully realized on the page. Photographs of Tutti and her family are featured throughout the work, reminding the reader that the events being recounted really happened. While some of the material will undoubtedly be disturbing for younger readers (the book jacket recommends ages 10 and up), the novel expertly captures the gradual creep of government-driven persecution in a way that should help children internalize Tutti’s story.

An adeptly constructed Holocaust work based on family history.

AVINOAM PATT, PhD, PHILIP D. FELTMAN PROFESSOR OF MODERN JEWISH HISTORY AT THE MAURICE GREENBERG CENTER FOR JUDAIC STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HARTFORD, AND DIRECTOR OF THE MUSEUM OF JEWISH CIVILIZATION

“Tutti’s Promise is a compelling story for all readers about one family’s remarkable tale of survival during the Holocaust. K. Heidi Fishman does a masterful job of weaving together Holocaust history with the account of Tutti and her family, while writing the manuscript in a style that is completely accessible for a middle-school audience. The book fills an important gap in the available literature on the subject and should reach a wide readership. Highly recommended.”

RHONDA FINK-WHITMAN, AUTHOR OF 94 MAIDENS, CREATOR OF THE MANDATE VIDEO, AND NATIONAL HOLOCAUST EDUCATION ADVOCATE

“Relevant and important . . . Heidi Fishman tells the true story of her family’s struggle to stay together and stay alive during man’s darkest period in history. Every Holocaust story should be told, and this one is done well, with heart, and through the sweet innocence of a child’s eyes. Tutti’s Promise will linger long after you’ve put down the book.”

TOM WHITE, COORDINATOR OF EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH, COHEN CENTER FOR HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE STUDIES, KEENE, NEW HAMPSHIRE

“Based on a true story, Tutti’s Promise invites readers to experience one family’s desperate struggle to stay together and retain their humanity during the Holocaust. Fishman’s loving account is a remarkable story of luck, generosity, hope, and courage in the face of atrocity. Suitable for readers ages 10 to adult, this sensitively written and gently told novel illustrates how much the world lost and continues to lose when targeted groups are marginalized as ‘other.’”

Core Virtues WEBSITE, MARY BETH KLEE

"This artfully cast, two-hundred-page novel is a superb portrayal of one family’s courage, resilience, and fortitude during the Holocaust. It is the true story of the Lichtensterns, a close-knit German-Jewish family, who settle in Amsterdam in the thirties, hoping to avoid Nazi persecution. But when the Netherlands falls to the Third Reich too, their hopes are dashed. Little Tutti, five years old at the time of the German invasion, is nine years old by the war’s end. The family initially endures tightened restrictions on their lives in Amsterdam, but is eventually deported to Westerbork and finally to Theresienstadt before they are liberated. Written simply but beautifully, the novel alternates from Tutti’s point of view (Why can’t I play with my friends after curfew? Why do I have to go to an all-Jewish school and wear this star? How can I help by protecting my doll?) to her parents’ (How can we get a passport to escape Europe? How do we feed our family, protect our children and parents, and survive these camps?). Tutti’s parents, Heinz and Margret, find ingenious ways to provide for their children, Tutti and Robbie, and to keep their hopes alive. Margret is a calm voice of reassurance in the most horrible of situations. (“She used her happy voice . . . the same voice she used when she wanted Tutti to eat her carrots.”) Heinz, able to leave camp on a pass, purchases a doll for Tutti, in which he hides money the family will desperately need. He asks Tutti to promise to keep the doll and their fortunes safe. She does that and much more.The Lichtensterns endure humiliation, hunger, squalor, disease, and the death of grandparents and a favorite uncle, but their hardships are counterbalanced by their own resourcefulness and acts of kindness from others who help keep them afloat: a Dutch friend who manages to get them a Paraguayan passport, a German guard who arranges for Heinz to get more food because he remembers how well Heinz tipped him when he was headwaiter at a Berlin hotel before the war. Indeed, the great virtue of Tutti’s Promise is that author K. Heidi Fishman (Tutti’s daughter) does not linger on horror, but has presented the family overcoming these grave obstacles in the context of hope. That perfectly rendered balance makes this book a fine choice for fourth to eighth graders."

READERS' FAVORITE, 5 STARS, JACK MAGNUS

Tutti's Promise is an historical fiction novel for preteens and young adults written by K. Heidi Fishman. Ruth (Tutti) Lichtenstern was a small child when her parents moved from Germany to the Netherlands over their concerns about the political situation and rising anti-Semitism in their home country. Her father, Heinz, worked in the metals industry and had been able to continue managing his business after the move, and her parents had another child, a boy, Robbie, in their new country. Several years later, however, they realized that moving to the Netherlands would not protect them from Hitler and the Nazis -- they had not moved far enough away. All of the attempts they and their friends made to protect them failed to stop their eventual transfer to a Jewish building, and then to a Nazi camp.

According to the author's note, only five percent of the Jews living in the Netherlands, who had been sent to a camp, survived the experience. While a number of Jews were able to go into hiding and weren't sent to camps, only 25 percent of the approximately 140,000 Jews living in the Netherlands before the war survived. Tutti's family, her parents, brother, and paternal grandparents were able to stay together, for the most part, throughout the year and a half they were in the camp system. Tutti is still active in speaking at schools to share her experiences during the war; her daughter, realizing this is the last generation of children who will actually get to hear the words of the survivors, and wanting her mother's tale to go on being told, wrote this book. She includes her family's tree, a glossary of foreign words and phrases, mostly in German, and Historical Notes organized by chapter.

I have read many survivors' accounts and historical fiction novels based on the Second World War and the Holocaust. It's hard but ultimately so inspiring to hear the stories of those who did make it through the impossible and unthinkable, especially those like Tutti, who have made it their life's work to inform succeeding generations, to ensure that their experiences at the hands of their fellow human beings is never forgotten. The more recent memoirs and novels such as this are memorable as they have been written by those who were children when sent to the camps -- the rare few who somehow escaped the literal death sentence passed on children and the elderly before ever walking through the gates of the camps. Why never forget? Because there's an ever present danger of the marginalization of others, of deciding that some are less human or less deserving of dignity, respect and life because of their religion, race or other status.

Reading Tutti's Promise makes Tutti and her family's struggles during their time in the camps and afterwards so real. There are so many poignant and unforgettable moments: Max's easing the terrifying train ride with his comedy and joking, Heinz's last-minute reprieve from that final train ride east to Auschwitz, Robbie's jubilation at finding treats -- the cast-off orange peels left by camp guards. Best of all is the shared triumph of those who did survive and remembrance of those who perished. Tutti's Promise may be historical fiction based on fact, but it rings as true and memorable as any memoir I've read. While it's listed as children's literature and will particularly appeal to the young, given Tutti’s age and outlook on her experiences, I recommend it most highly for readers of all ages.

READERS' FAVORITE, 5 STARS, MARTA TANDORI

Tutti’s Promise is a poignant and at times heartbreaking true account of one family’s ordeal of survival during the Holocaust in the Netherlands. The story is told through the eyes of the Lichtenstern’s eldest child, Tutti, and what gives the book even more impact is the array of old family photos and documents saved by the Lichtenstern family. The book is written by Tutti’s daughter, K. Heidi Fishman, and targets young readers.

Heinz Lichtenstern, his wife, Margret, and their young daughter, Ruth (Tutti), and the two sets of grandparents were Jews living in Germany. Heinz and his father, Oscar, worked in a metals trading company called Oxyde, whose owner was also Jewish. In 1935, when the Nazis decreed that Jews were no longer German citizens, the owner of Oxyde decided to relocate his business to Amsterdam and the Lichtenstern family, along with both sets of grandparents, moved to Amsterdam as well where Tutti’s brother, Robbie, was born a few years later. However, in 1940 when the Nazis invaded the Netherlands, Tutti’s family discovers with horror that they haven’t moved far enough from the clutches of the Nazis.

Tutti’s idyllic life is soon turned upside down when the family is forced to move several times, each time into smaller apartments, and soon the Nazis force the Jews to follow new rules, making life exceedingly difficult. Curfews are imposed, all Jews over the age of six must wear yellow stars sewn onto their clothing, and soon Jews can no longer own any businesses. Rumors begin to swirl around them of forced deportations to Polish work camps and ghastly living conditions in Polish ghettos. Tutti’s father, along with close family and friends, scrape together as much money as they can before Heinz contacts a close family friend to give him the money with the hope that he can secure South American passports for him and his family, his parents and in-laws, as well as their close friends. The friend leaves with the money, promising to do what he can. In the meantime, conditions around Tutti and her family continue to deteriorate, with raids in Jewish neighborhoods becoming commonplace. Families are being removed to two transit camps, Westerbork and Vught, with many other Jewish refugees ultimately being sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau – one of three extermination camps in Poland. It is during one of these raids that both sets of Tutti’s grandparents are taken away. Until now, Tutti’s father has managed to keep the family safe, but in September, 1943, it appears as though their luck has run out when he receives the letter he has been dreading; that he and his family are being sent to the transit camp, Westerbork, and that they must report to police headquarters the next day. It is then that Tutti and her family go underground, deciding to hide at the house of Heinz’s trusted co-worker. Little do any of them know that their horrific ordeal has only just begun . . .

What makes Tutti’s Promise so compelling is the point of view through which the story is told. Since it’s told through the eyes of Tutti, who is a young girl at the time, the reader is aware of the changes that are taking place, as told by Tutti. Her parents’ fears are palpable, but controlled as both parents, especially Margret, strive to keep life as normal as possible for Tutti and her brother, even when they are at the transit camp, Westerbork. With disease and illness running rampant throughout the camp, Margret makes the children wake up in the middle of the night to wash in order to stay clean since keeping clean means keeping healthy. The unexpected reunions with the grandparents were wonderful surprises while the five-note whistle Heinz’s family had always used to find each other in a crowd also proved instrumental in these reunions. The random acts of kindness also made an impression, like the episode at the camp when one of the guards, who had been a waiter Heinz had been kind to in the earlier days, gave Heinz an opportunity to steal some vegetables so that Heinz’s family could have better food.

While this story is certainly one of courage, perseverance, determination and hope, it’s also a story that illustrates how resourceful humans can be when their lives are on the line. Whether you’re young or older, Tutti’s Promise is one of those books that will stay with you for a long time.

NETGALLEY

PARIS T., REVIEWER
5 STARS: "A truly inspiring story of a brave family during the Holocaust. I have no doubts that Tutti`s Promise will be as thought provoking as Anne Frank's diary. An essential read for all older children learning about WW 2."

JANUARY G., REVIEWER
5 STARS: "Touching, heartbreaking, remarkable. This is one of the top must reads if you are interested in this time in History."

TIA D., REVIEWER
5 STARS: "I loved that I was able to see this experience from both Tutti's and her parents' perspective. This story will inspire you and help you to remember to forgive those who have done you wrong. I would love to meet Tutti and tell her how much I loved her story."

RICHELLE F., REVIEWER
5 STARS: "Tutti's Promise is an amazing story of a young girl and her family as they fight to survive the Holocaust. It is written from the point of view of the child. This is what captured me. I have read many books on the Holocaust survival and they have all be brilliant bringing out stories of strength, endurance and survival beyond human belief. I found Tutti's Promise to be all this, and more, as a child's account of her parent's courage and strength unveiled.

"Amonst all the trials, Tutti's father is able to buy her a doll of which he places all the money they have into the head chamber. Tutti is then given the doll for her birthday. Along with the doll comes the promise and challenge of never letting the doll from her protection, no matter what the circumstance. I was touched by this. As lists are placed on walls with the names of prisoners destined for the gas chambers, the last thing one would want would be their child screaming over a doll. But, this was the family's future survival source. As a mother I thought of what I would have my children do. One then quickly realizes the hope of the father and mother, and the strength of a daughter no matter how young.

"The father amazed me in this novel. He never gave up trying every resource available to him as he endeavoured to keep his family in the right places. He managed to just scrape through many events. The family also struggled to keep extended family together, but never stopped in the effort to bring each family member back together. It was a story that showed unbelievable family strength and connection.

"For any middle grader, this book is a brilliant piece of history that will far exceed many history texts in the education of Holocaust survival. The writing from a childs perspective, gives strength to the story. The photos at the end show the family, Tutti, and her doll, all bring a sense of life to the book. I would like to see this book used as a piece of educational history by teachers presenting the topic which remains a bit of history that continues to be told and shock every generation. This is a piece of history that needs to be learnt from so it never surfaces again, to any degree, in the future."

SALLY H., REVIEWER
5 STARS: "This book details a period of history through the personal experience and memories of the authors mother, who was a Jewish child in Holland in the 1930/40s. It is moving, memorable and thought provoking and is a reminder of a period of history that should never be forgotten."

JANILYN K., REVIEWER
5 STARS: "Although this book may be targeted toward a younger reading audience, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's considered a novel, but the author used numerous family photographs and documents to tell her mother's family's story during World War II. The family was extremely lucky to survive the war with their nuclear family intact, especially considering it included two small children. The ingenuity of the family was remarkable. Holocaust survivor stories become more precious and cherished as each day passes since their numbers are so sparse."

SIGOURNEY H., REVIEWER
4/5 STARS: "‘I hope you learned something from my story. It’s a story of hope and perseverance. It’s a story of courage and compassion and luck. Most of all, it’s a story that reminds us that we must never forget what prejudice and hatred can lead to if we don’t confront them together.’ – Tutti Lichtenstern Fishman

"Tutti’s Promise is an account of Tutti (Ruth) and her family’s experience of being Jewish in the Netherlands during WWII. Having already left Germany for Amsterdam when Tutti and her younger brother, Robbie, were young, they suddenly found themselves further targeted by Hitler and the Nazis for their faith when Germany invaded the Netherlands in May 1940. As most people know, some six million Jews (alongside many other people the Nazis deemed ‘inferior’) were murdered during the Holocaust, and this is something that can never be forgotten. Tutti’s Promise delivers a heart-breaking story of the terrible circumstances Jewish people found themselves in during the war, and feels even more important given what’s happening in the world right now.

"K. Heidi Fishman recounts her mother’s story, documenting the fear and heartbreak the family lived through, alongside the immense courage and will they had during the darkest times – the small ways in which Tutti’s father, Heinz, tried to sabotage the Nazis may not have had any effect, but it was so incredibly brave for him to try and do something, anything, whilst imprisoned at Westerbork (a detention and transit camp). I found myself moving between fear, hope, and terrible sadness as I read what happened to Tutti’s family and it will always baffle me how people could believe that there was something inherently wrong with a group of people because of their religion, race, or sexuality.

"The writing is simple and easy to read, and at first I thought it wouldn’t be as emotional a reading experience because of this, but I was wrong. Even though the prose is simple and to the point, the actual events make it an extremely harrowing and emotional story to read. Tutti and her family experience extreme hardships and a wild array of emotions, and I don’t think I will ever be able to read a memoir or story from WWII and not be moved; everything regarding the war and Holocaust is incredibly emotive in some way and this is no exception, especially as Tutti and Robbie were so young when they experienced it all. The accessibility of the writing makes this an excellent resource for younger readers who are beginning to learn about the Holocaust, as it is very informative without being overly wordy – the use of historical pictures and documents also add another dimension of realness, and I found them fascinating.

"I’ve felt this way about pretty much every book about WWII and the Holocaust that I’ve ever read: this is such an important story to tell that I can barely articulate it. These stories need to be told, need to be understood, and need to be taken seriously so that they never happen again. Most people seem to understand this and even when the world seems a terrifying place (recent events especially) I’m always reminded of something Fred Rodgers said, ‘when I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”’. Even with all the hardship and hate, there will always be people helping, speaking out against wrongdoing, and telling their stories – just like Tutti – in the hopes that one day they won’t need and that the world will realise we are all human, and we all matter."

ILANA W, REVIEWER
4/5 STARS: "Based on a family story, this book offers a valuable contribution to the history of the Shoah in Europe, particularly The Netherlands. It can be used in middle schools classes for teaching about Shoah, but it is generally a recommended read to anyone that want to know more about the tragic episodes of the fate of the world Jewry. This story of the Lichtenstern family of coping with the terrible trials of fate is one of the many examples of resilience and courage, creativity and refuse to give up to hate during the WWII. It also offers information about the daily life in the Theresienstadt concentration camp through the innocent eyes of Tutti, a little girl who grew up assuming adults' responsibilities from a very early age. A must-read for anyone interested in this historical period of time."

SUSAN M., REVIEWER
5 STARS: "In the 1930's, Hitler has risen to power and the Jews are on the brink of losing the life they knew. Happy times spent with family and friends are disappearing. The Lichtensterns are leaving Germany and moving to Amsterdam. It is initially a good move for them but Hitler has invaded Amsterdam. They go into hiding but it doesn't last. Why? What will happen to them? This is a nonfiction book of the holocaust seemed throu Tutti's eyes. She doesn't always understand why things were changing. She is too smart for her parents explanations. It is an eye opening story to see how they survive daily. Fortunately they have surprises, helpful friends that help them survive. This is a tale to be read by everyone regardless of age."

Ursula R, Educator
4/5 STARS: "A moving story told from the dual perspective of a child and of genuine historical evidence.

"The first-person narrative of a child sheltered as much as possible from the barbarity of occupation and imprisonment is very poignant, paticularly as the reader understands so much more of the situation with the benefit of historical hindsight."