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.

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.