Let Me Tell You a Story

  I dedicate this book to those who have literally enabled me to live my life. To the dead: my mother and grandmother killed in Nazi concentration camps; my beloved father who died in England in 1989; and all those who helped to keep me safe in Poland and whose names I have changed in this account. But also to the living: to Dady who, as Frederika and subsequently my loving second mother, has played such a large part in my survival and in my life since; and to my younger brother, Alex. Above all to Bruce, my husband of fifty-two years, and our daughters, Sarah and Kay, all three unfailing pillars of love, patience and strength. Thank you all.

  A Note on the Author

  Renata Calverley was born in Poland in 1937. She has an Honours Degree in English Literature and American Studies from Nottingham University, a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from the London University Institute of Education and a Diploma in Creative Writing. A retired deputy head of a Sixth Form, she taught English for thirty-seven years, including twenty-five years at Aylesbury High School. On retirement she worked with GAP Activity Project for ten years as a project manager successively in Canada, Japan and Poland. Renata Calverley is an accomplished public speaker, regularly recounting her experiences to societies and interested parties across the UK. She lives in Oxford with her husband.

  Copyright © 2013 by Renata Calverley

  All rights reserved.

  You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce, or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. For information, write to Bloomsbury USA, 1385 Broadway, New York, New York, 10018.

  This is a work of nonfiction based on the life, experiences, and recollections of Renata Calverley. In some cases names have been changed to protect a person’s privacy.

  Published by Bloomsbury USA, New York

  LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR

  eISBN: 978-1-62040-150-7

  First U.S. Edition 2013

  This electronic edition published in November 2013

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