Hanna and Walter

About the Book

"One of the happiest of the few happy endings the Holocaust allowed. Their extraordinary story [is told] in alternating first-person chapters that create suspense grim authenticity and impact." -Los Angeles Times

"This incredible true-life story is simply but compellingly written and so intriguing it has to be read in one sitting." -Booklist

Hanna Bloch and Walter Kohner met in a small Czech town in 1935. She was fifteen, a romantic who planned to move to the big city. He was twenty and dreamed of being an actor. They ice skated; they danced; they hiked in the mountains; they fell in love.

The political climate was rapidly changing and they had heard stories about the Nazis, but Hanna and Walter believed that Czechoslovakia was safe. They didn't realize just how invasive the Nazi command could be or how deeply it would change their lives. Eventually they fled. Walter immigrated to the United States and joined the U.S. military. Initially, Hanna worked in Amsterdam, but she was later rounded up by the Nazis and shuffled to four different concentration camps.

Hanna and Walter not only preserves one couple's memories, but also delivers a powerful personal account of the Holocaust and its atrocities. And it serves as testament that love can prevail over seemingly impossible odds.

About the Author

Hanna and Walter Kohner first met and fell in love in a small Czech town during the winter of 1935. Though the looming war in Europe caused them to separate, they never fell out of love with each other. Their story of love overcoming impossible odds was one of the few Holocaust stories with a happy ending. They spent the remainder of their lives in Los Angeles, where Walter was a well-known agent representing actors, authors and directors.