Up From the Ashes by Sharon Cameron is a story full of tragedy and horror. The book is also filled with love and hope. It is hard to write a novel that balances good and bad so completely. Sharon Cameron’s book does just that. However, the events in the book are real, they were witnessed by Engels or other survivors. There are names and places in the book that are real. (There are some unknown or names hidden for a reason in a couple of places.)
The book is told in two time lines, both stories narrated by Selma. The storylines; one from Selma before Sobibor and one with Selma in Sobibor and after their escape. Up From the Ashes shares tragic events from the Sobibor Death Camp. But it also shares a growing love story between Chaim and Selma. It also includes the breakout and escape of prisoners in 1943.
Imagine being put into hell and being forced to dance when you do not understand the language and what you are being told to do. That was Selma’s introduction to Sabibor. Chaim stepped up and started to dance with her and so their fate was set.
At times, the death and destruction of human life was highlighted. Sobibor was a death camp. Chaim and Selma witnessed such horror and their story needs to be told again and again – so it does not happen again.
The story is listed as historical fiction, young adult, and Holocaust. Up From the Ashes by Sharon Cameron is a great read!
“Hope sustained them. Hope helped them strive. Hope handed them the strength to survive both in the camp and out of it. Hope sent them to the trials and to school, so the world could be better. And it was a hope that sprang from love.” Sharon Cameron (author’s note)
