The Old Brown Suitcase
By Lillian Boraks-Nemetz

The Old Brown Suitcase, an award winning book that has sold extraordinarily well both nationally and internationally, now appears in a new edition by Ronsdale Press. The novel narrates the absorbing story of a young girl who survived the Holocaust against all odds. Slava, a fourteen-year-old teen, comes to Canada with her parents and sister and a suitcase filled with memories of a lost childhood, memories that now haunt her new life. She cannot forget the hunger, stench and disease in the Warsaw Ghetto, nor the fear and humiliation of being incarcerated behind a high brick wall. She cannot forget her extraordinary escape from the Ghetto, leaving behind her beloved parents and sister. Nor can she forget being swallowed up in a strange and unknown place to survive under a hidden identity. The story juxtaposes heart-wrenching scenes from a child’s life in war-torn Poland with the life of a teenager trying to adjust to a new country in time of peace. In Canada, it is not easy for Slava to build a bridge between two cultures; nor is it easy to live with the turmoil of her immediate past. At the same time she must face the new challenges involved in being an immigrant, a Jew and a teenage girl.

Historical notes on the Warsaw ghetto and a bibliography for future reading have been appended for those who wish further insights.

Awards for The Old Brown Suitcase

• Winner, Sheila Egoff B.C. Book Prize, 1995
• Winner, Rachel Bassin Prize, Toronto, 1995
• Short-listed for 1995 Geoffrey Bilson Award, 1995
• Canadian Children's Book Centre Choice, 1995
• Placed on the B.C. School recommended reading list, 1996
• Slava (the French translation) chosen by Communication Jeunesse as one of the best French language books for young readers, 1997-98

"...unusual and compelling..." — Globe and Mail

"...wonderful. Twice I was reduced to tears." — Toronto Star

Lillian Boraks-Nemetz was born in Warsaw, Poland, where she survived the Holocaust as a child, escaped the Warsaw Ghetto and lived in Polish villages under a false identity. She has a Master’s Degree in Comparative Literature and teaches Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia’s Writing Centre. She is the author of numerous books, including Ghost Children (Ronsdale, 2000, 978-0-921870-78-4), a collection of poetry.