A touching story that was left to her family, but should be read by everyone. It is amazing that she lived to tell the story. I have read many Holocaust stories, but this one was written in a way that was easy to relate to. Reading her story was much like having a conversation with a trusted friend. I found it fascinating that she was able to find the pictures of her family. This is a story that needs to be heard and belongings with all the other great Holocaust writings.

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TFS93 | 4 other reviews | Dec 12, 2012 |

This Has Happened: An Italian Family in Auschwitz by Piera Sonnino

Italian-Jewish family’s horrible and tragic experience under Hitler; what’s also shown is a certain stubbornness in Italians in general – one that is inherent in second and third generation Italian-Americans today; text (translation) contains a lot of commas

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rosies | 4 other reviews | Jun 6, 2012 |

This Has Happened: An Italian Family in Auschwitz by Piera Sonnino

This is a slim memoir, enhanced by a forward and epilogue written by scholars which explain the historical context. The author, Piera Sonnino, wrote it for the benefit of her daughters and never intended it for publication. One of her children had it translated and published years after her death.

It is a fairly typical Holocaust memoir, distinguished mainly by three things: the Italian family that is the subject (not many stories about Italian Holocaust victims out there), the author's dignified, refined genteel tone, and the fact that, unlike in many such books, a lot of information is provided as to what happened to Piera after liberation. I would recommend as a solid addition to Holocaust collections.… (more)

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meggyweg | 4 other reviews | Mar 6, 2009 |

This Has Happened: An Italian Family in Auschwitz by Piera Sonnino

Interesting and brief family history of one Italian Jewish family's experience in WWII. The commentaries included were also illuminating. I'm not well read in WWII history, but discovered that the Jewish experience in Italy was quite different, generally speaking, than in other European countries. Which makes the tragedy of this family even more poignant.