Castles Burning Book

Castles Burning is the story of Magda, a young Jewish girl in war-torn Budapest. The author, Magda Denes, wrote this memoir of her Holocaust experience in the strong, honest voice of her childhood self, leaving her memories unrefined by later acquired adult experience. Magda lived through unspeakable deprivation and horror, hidden from German soldiers and Hungarian Nazis, as she attempted to survive the insanity that engulfed her and her family. The Russian invasion and the withdrawal of the Germans did little to restore any sense of normalcy in Magda's life. After the war, Magda and her family still had to confront their losses and attempt to deal with the many ways they had been changed. For Magda, the loss of her childhood and the painful set of memories she carries burden her most, keeping her distant from her mother and father and preventing her from ever receiving the tenderness her weary soul desires. Denes's story takes her from Hungary to France, then Cuba and on to the United States, creating an incredible family story full of horrifying adventures, by turns both sad and comic. But the precious creation of this book is the unforgettable childhood of Magda, a gem forged under ungodly pressure.Read More