If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten. Rudyard Kipling
Check out my discussion guides to supplement your reading. I'd be happy to visit your classroom, book club, or seniors' group to facilitate conversation around the ugliness of war ... on all sides. Stories, like bread, are better when shared.
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Ronsdale Press |
From East Prussian Refugee to Soviet Starosta
January, 1945
Katya's attempt to flee the Red Army fails and she's dragged 2800 kilometres east to a coal mine in the Ural Mountains.
Thanks to the cover designer, Julie Cochrane, for including my mother's POW release paper on the cover.
REVIEWS
* included in CCBC (Canadian Children's Book Centre) Best Books, Spring, 2023
* youngadulting.ca: "I appreciated every moment of Katya’s experience and learned a great deal along her journey of the Second World War."
* 49th Shelf, Top Grade Pick for Winter, 2023, Young Adult.
* 5 Stars and "Highly Recommended" in CM Review, January 27, 2023
* "An engaging story from the start ..." in BookList . (American Library Association)
* "Difficult, harsh, and worthy of attention." Kirkus Reviews.
* "A story of resilience and survival... unique perspective...indelible images." Barbara Nickel, BC & Yukon Book Prize recipient & author of Dear Peter, Dear Ulla
I'm immensely grateful to Dr. Mateusz Swietlicki, (link to his lecture at the HREC - Holodomor Research & Education Consortium). As Assistant Professor at the University of Wrocław's Institute of English Studies and Director of the Center for Young People's Literature, Dr. Swietlicki validates my work when he refers to all four of my novels in his study of children's Ukrainian history alongside a wide swath of Canadian authors. I hope his textbook— Next-Generation Memory and Ukrainian Canadian Children's Historical Fiction: The Seeds of History—will encourage all of us storytellers to keep listening and to keep sharing our truths through the power of story.
Crow Stone's launch (13.01.23) featured a conversation with my oldest daughter, focusing on the dynamics & value of family history. Available on McNally Robinson's YouTube link.
Thank you to McNally Robinson for giving local bookworms a welcoming community & thank you to those who attended, in person and online.
Here's a link to my part in this YA author conversation.
Visit Ronsdale's Youtube channel to preview more of their recent historical releases.
to the Brock House Society in Vancouver, BC, for letting me share Katya's story as part of their Esther Birney lecture series in time for Remembrance Day and to Canada Council for their financial support in helping writers share their stories.
Thanks to those who attended by BookChat with the MANITOBA WRITERS' GUILD ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12.2023.
Good conversation!
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| Ronsdale Press, July, 2021 |
Tainted Amber - third book in my series exploring the tumultuous life of my mom during the Stalin and Nazi years. It's 1937 and Katya is now 18, working as a maid in rural East Prussia.
Being young and in love can be a wonderful thing but in 1937, in the Third Reich, it's all about genetics not romance.
Order here or at your own favourite bookstore.
REVIEWS
- Gold Moonbeam Award for YA historical fiction. Fall, 2022.
- 4 Stars and "Highly Recommended" in CM Review. April, 2022.
- Included in CCBC (Canadian Children's Book Centre), Best Books. Spring, 2022.
- "Goldstone deftly plunges the reader into a past when Hitler's ideas seemed new and fresh. A timely read." Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch, multi-award- winning of author of historical fiction.
For a taste of the book, here's a link to Made in Manitoba Book Jam hosted by Anita Daher. My reading starts at about the 23 minute mark.
Here's an interview I did with nfreads.com
Recording of July, 2021 launch available on YouTube. Thanks to Jodi Carmichael who interviewed me. Grateful to McNally Robinson Booksellers for hosting the event. Thank you to all who attended!
