A single swipe of found lipstick. A desperate gamble for life. The unbreakable bond of a mother and daughter.
Marysia is just seventeen years old when the horrors of World War II shatter her life in Krakow, Poland. Fleeing with nothing but a toothbrush, she and her mother seek safety within the Krakow ghetto. But safety is a cruel illusion, and soon they are forced onto a cattle car bound for the most terrifying place imaginable: Auschwitz.
Stripped of their clothes, their hair, and their dignity, they stand in a freezing selection line where a single gesture determines life or death.
Thinking fast, Marysia uses a discarded tube of used lipstick she found by chance to color her and her mother’s pale cheeks—faking the look of health and vitality to evade the gas chambers. The quick-witted ploy saves them from the first selection, but surviving day-to-day in the camp will require immense resourcefulness, fierce bravery, and an unbreakable maternal bond.
Based on an incredible true story of heroic survival, this deeply moving Holocaust novel is perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and The Choice.
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