The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel

The Forest of Vanishing Stars tells the story of Polish Jews who escaped ghettos and fled to Eastern European forests, hiding for years from the Nazis and Soviets. A fictional novel, Harmel did extensive research so the characters and story is based on actual experiences.

The book begins years before WWII when an old woman, Jerusza, kidnaps a 2-year-old German child from her house. Jerusza doesn't intend to harm the child but keep her safe and prepare her for her destiny. Jerusza renames the child Yona and raises her in the forests of Poland and Eastern Europe. Raised part-Jewish, part mystical, Yona is taught how to live independently, off the forest and rarely sees other people. As Yona becomes a young adult, Jerusza's heath fails and she dies, asking Yona to promise that she will continue living in the forest for her safety and to meet her destiny.

Jerusza's death is followed by dark days for Eastern European Jews. Polish Jews are herded into ghettos and living in crowded buildings with little food and no ability to leave. Some manage to escape into the forests around their villages. Yona encounters multiple groups trying to survive in the forest with little knowledge of how to live off the land while evading the Nazis. A kind, sympathetic person, she takes these people under her wing, teaching them how to hunt for food, live off the land and survive the winter. She learns how to live with others and slowly builds relationships with these refugees.

Although the idea of Jerusza and Yona living isolated in the forests for 20 years does seem implausible, the idea of someone like Yona helping the Jewish community feels realistic. I think of Oskar Schindler (Schindler's List) or the family who hid Anne Frank and her family.

I had no idea that people fled and lived in the forests of Eastern Europe - it seems so amazing to me. People’s will to survive, their adaptability and fortitude always astound me.