Cilka's Journey

  Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris

Have you read yet The Tatooist of Auschwitz?  It's the story of Lale and Gita Sokolov's survival in Auschwitz. Of course, to survive many other people needed to be trusted and included.  One of those people involved with Lale and Gita was Cilka. Cilka was just a teenager and she was beautiful so of course she attracted the attention of the commandant. Cilka was made his mistress and given unbelievable power over the other female prisoners.  But, when you are in her position, you do what you need to do to survive.  These things you do are not easily forgotten.
     When the war was over and the camp liberated by the Russians Cilka's journey was not over.  She was accused of collaborating with the enemy and forced to exchange one prison for another, she is sent to Siberia along with anyone else the Russians didn't trust. 
     But Cilka already knows how to survive.  You dig deep. And even though she is once again forced to be someone's mistress and work and live in a cold that can only be imagined she knows she has brains and spunk and heart and you keep your head down.  A female doctor in the camp sees this and takes Cilka into her world of healing, however that can happen in a place like this. Healing can happen in many ways.  Cilka forms friendships,  shows heart and compassion to the sick and injured and eventually she discovers she has even more strength than she ever knew. 
    The Tatooist of Auschwitz is a true story and so is Cilka's.