When Tears Fall Short

About the Book

“When Tears Fall Short” is the true story of the life of a young woman ravaged by war and loss, who feels compelled to record her account of World War II. She sees life through the eyes of a human being struggling to stay alive and at the same time blossoming into womanhood. The resilient nature of the human spirit under the worst of circumstances illustrates itself vividly in this book. The reader is blissfully lost in love one moment and feels the writer's despair the next moment; this book toils with your emotions as untold history unfolds. One example of history that the world is not aware of, is the De-Nazification status that the German government gave to Nazis for the equivalent of a $500 charge. After the war, Nazis could legally declare by a government decree that they were not Nazis during the war. The only requirement for this service was to pay a fee. This memoir begins in 1939, in the small Polish village of Nowy Dwor, on the outskirts of Warsaw. It explores the hopes and dreams of a young girl coming of age into an expanding world of abundant possibilities. The events that come into her life alter her entire destiny as she grows up overnight into a world that is unbearable to endure. As the war ends, the author finds herself in the most complex of life’s predicaments. Although, as Jews they have lost their entire families to war, the author, her husband and child are placed as refugees, into the home of a nazi family. The ironies of life are explored in the most unusual and unlikely situation that is, amazingly, at the core of human depth. The book ends ten years later at the eve of the birth of a new Israel and the eve of a new life for the next generation. This eloquent, masterful and unusual memoir is written with simplicity and intelligence that will haunt and provoke the reader’s mind. The journey through history, through the perspective of a little girl and now, a woman of wisdom, will take you to the other side of war. This is the place where future generations can learn from their common lineage of war. This memoir encourages the reader to bear the inheritance of bigotry for the purpose of never having to relive it. As you read the pages in this book, you will see the unwritten message as a warning for what could happen again and a hope for the fruitful destiny of humanity. UPDATE: On September 11, 2001 Halina watched the news of the attack on America all day and all evening. She said "it´s another Holocaust". She went to sleep and had a fatal stroke. We are interested in filming her life story. Please use www.xlibris.com to obtain contact information if you can assist in any manner. Thank you.

About the Author

Halina Ross was born in Nowy Dwor, Poland. After six months hiding under German occupation in Poland during World War II, she fled to Kazakstan, Russia and lived in labor camps until the end of the war. She was a teenager that blossomed into a young woman as she struggled through war, love and survival. Her older brother lost his life while fighting in the underground Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Her younger brother was one of the five living survivors of Korczak’s orphanage, also in the Warsaw ghetto. He has now passed on. Halina lost her family to Nazis, gave birth to her children and witnessed the emergence of a new country, Israel, which would shelter her after the war. Her life experiences contain unrecorded history and she feels compelled to share it with the world as her legacy. As a long time resident of San Francisco, she passionately expresses her past through her sculptures, paintings and memoirs. UPDATE: Halina had a fatal stroke after hearing of the news of 911. We are looking to produce a film or documentary of these ten years of her life.