We Must Not Think of Ourselves

By: Lauren Grodstein

Narrated by: Brad Griffith, Jesse Vilinsky, Sharon Freedman, Amir Levi, Rich Keeble

Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

**THE TODAY SHOW READ WITH JENNA DECEMBER 2023 PICK**

Inspired by a little-known piece of history—the underground group that kept an archive to insure that the lives of Jewish occupants of the Warsaw Ghetto in World War II were not lost to history—this is a heart-wrenching novel of love and defiance that People calls "gripping, emotional, and against all odds, hopeful."

“This book is a masterpiece: profound, gripping, urgent, and beautiful.”—Madeline Miller, New York Times bestselling author of Circe and The Song of Achilles

On a November day in 1940, Adam Paskow becomes a prisoner in the Warsaw Ghetto, where the Jews of the city are cut off from their former lives and held captive by Nazi guards to await an uncertain fate. Weeks later, he is approached by a mysterious figure with a surprising request: Would he join a secret group of archivists working to preserve the truth of what is happening inside these walls?

Adam agrees and begins taking testimonies from his students, friends, and neighbors. He learns about their childhoods and their daydreams, their passions and their fears, their desperate strategies for safety and survival. The stories form a portrait of endurance in a world where no choices are good ones.

One of the people Adam interviews is his flatmate Sala Wiskoff, who is stoic, determined, and funny—and married with two children. Over the months of their confinement, in the presence of her family, Adam and Sala fall in love. As they desperately carve out intimacy, their relationship feels both impossible and vital, their connection keeping them alive.

But when Adam discovers a possible escape from the Ghetto, he is faced with an unbearable choice: whom can he save, and at what cost ?

Inspired by the testimony-gathering project with the code name Oneg Shabbat, New York Times bestselling author Lauren Grodstein draws listeners into the lives of people living on the edge. Told with immediacy and heart, We Must Not Think of Ourselves is a piercing story of love, determination, and sacrifice.

©2023 Lauren Grodstein (P)2023 Algonquin Books

Critic reviews

"This book is a masterpiece: profound, gripping, urgent, and beautiful. In its clear-eyed and devastating portrait of the past, Grodstein invites us into the present; to bear witness to the lives that have come before us, while finding meaning and courage for our own."—Madeline Miller, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Circe and The Song of Achilles

“In We Must Not Think of Ourselves, Lauren Grodstein writes with such a blazing commitment to the truth of the Warsaw Ghetto that sometimes I had to stop reading and catch my breath. But in the midst of the brutality, she clears a path for the parallel stories of love and decency. Make no mistake: this is a heartbreaking portrait of a dark moment. But this novel shimmers with light.”—Lauren Fox, New York Times bestselling author of Send for Me

"We Must Not Think of Ourselves is one of those rare books—beautifully written, seamlessly constructed, quietly devastating—that manages to tell an old story in a new way with no pyrotechnics beyond perfect storytelling, including an ending that will stay with me always. It is far and away my favorite novel of the year, of many years, and I know I will be recommending it to readers forevermore."—Laurie Frankel, New York Times bestselling author of One Two Three

We must never forget

I was immersed in the characters, the storyline and their emotions. The writing was superb and the voices brought forth the characters in full drama. I highly recommend this audible book.

A beautiful book.

I have read a lot of books about the Holocaust but this may be the best I’ve read. A captivating story with great readers.

Terrific book and performance

Reading this book felt like a real window into the Warsaw Ghetto. I loved the characters. I am sad to be finished with it.

A must listen!

Beautifully told with great narration… The characters really came alive through each of the performances. I especially felt like I knew Adam and Sala, and truly hoped they would end up together. I will certainly recommend this audiobook to anybody who enjoys historical fiction and likes a heart-warming story.

To Feel

You cannot listen to this book without feeling the terror, the tragedy, the atrocities. It is beautifully written, and equally well narrated.

sums up Warsaw ghetto life for Jews in the early 1940...plus good story telling

Narrator had very authentic accent and brings the story well.
A polish language teacher is persuaded to do interviews so the memories of the Nazi enforced Warsaw ghetto would be real history.
interviews are conducted with men and women of varied ages and children too. Is it possible for hope to keep rooted while the unthinkable happens to any Jew, by the whim of any soldier?

Beautifully Written and Heartbreaking

We Must Not Think of Ourselves is beautifully written and heartbreaking story of people in the Jewish Ghetto. No matter how many books I read about the Holocaust, I will never understand how the world let this happen. Thank you to the author for sharing this powerful story.

moving and realistic

Well written glad I took advantage of this suggestion from the Jenna Bush Haggar book club. I do hope there may be a sequel or follow up novella. During these times of so long ago reading of these travesties and praying we never repeat the horrible actions committed during World War II.

very thoughtful

This book is very well narrated. The story is so descriptive and culturally relevant. I would read it again.

The story was very interesting and kept me engaged from start to finish

The characters were wonderfully described and you really felt like you knew them and cared for them