Chance Encounters

About the Book

Sophie escapes from Auschwitz and is sheltered in a Catholic convent until the area is liberated by the Russians. Her husband Jake is inducted into the Polish Army in 1939 and is taken prisoner by the Germans. With the help of a friend, he escapes and reaches Russia. He eventually joins the 1st Polish Army and is part of the forces liberating Poland and Berlin. After the war Sophie searches for information about Jake. She hears about the 1st Polish Army and tries to get to Berlin to connect with survivors who might know about Jake. She is aided by another Auschwitz survivor Joseph who is searching for Eliza, a friend from Auschwitz. In an extraordinary encounter in Berlin, Sophie and Jake are reunited.

About the Author

Margaret Conger is a retired nursing professor who as a young nursing student had an encounter with a Polish patient who told her an amazing story of his wife’s survival in WWII. This piqued her interest in study of the holocaust including travel to areas involved in the story.