Rita Braun Shares Story in New Holocaust Survivor Memoir

In her new memoir, "Fragments of my Life: A Memoir" (published by iUniverse), author Rita Braun shares her story of surviving the Holocaust in Poland and immigrating to Brazil, where she met her husband and started a new life and family.

Growing up in Poland in the 1930s, Braun had many hopes and dreams for the future. When she was nine years old, however, World War II touched her once-idyllic life, transforming paradise on earth into an indescribable hell. In "Fragments of my Life," Braun tells her story. Readers will follow her from her birth in Poland to her new life in Brazil, where she continues to work to ensure no one forgets the more than six million Jewish people who lost their lives during the Holocaust.

An excerpt from "Fragments of my Life":

"Every Sunday I would go to mass, sometimes accompanied by Mother, to prove that we were Christians. Once per month, I would also go to confession and take communion.

This routine repeated itself rigidly, month after month, until one day the local priest, Lancki, called me into the sacristy and said, "I have come to realize that you are an exemplary Catholic, who always comes to confession, takes communion, and never misses mass. But despite all of this, I believe that you aren't really a Catholic, but a Jew. I don't convert anyone for money-I only believe in saving souls. So, if your family agrees, come along to my parish tonight, and I will marry your parents and baptize and confirm you all."

Eduardo Karpat, Braun's grandson, helped bring this story to readers. He spent the two last years working on the translation of the book from its original in Portuguese into English, and having it published in the US, on the side of his day job. He says. "Rita is part of the last generation who can say she lived through the events of the Holocaust. At times people are forgetting or denying parts of it, it is instrumental to document testimonies, memories. The style makes it a pleasurable read, as impressive as it may be." Eduardo lives and works in New York.

"Fragments of my Life" has been awarded the iUniverse Editor's Choice honor, which recognizes excellence in writing. Rita was awarded the "Lygia Fagundes Telles" prize for women writers in Rio Preto, Sao Paulo (Brazil).

"Fragments of my Life"
By Rita Braun
Hardcover | 5.5 x 8.5 in | 208 pages | ISBN 9781475966978
Softcover | 5.5 x 8.5 in | 208 pages | ISBN 9781475966961
E-Book | ISBN 9781475966985
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author
Rita Braun was born in Kraków, Poland, and survived the events of the Holocaust. She and her husband, Mauricio, founded the Bertie Levi store in B'nai B'rith, and she was president of the entity for two terms. Braun and her family live in Brazil.

iUniverse, an Author Solutions, LLC, self-publishing imprint, is the leading book marketing, editorial services, and supported self-publishing provider. iUniverse has a strategic alliance with Indigo Books & Music, Inc. in Canada, and titles accepted into the iUniverse Rising Star program are featured in a special collection on BarnesandNoble.com. iUniverse recognizes excellence in book publishing through the Star, Reader's Choice, Rising Star and Editor's Choice designations-self-publishing's only such awards program. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, iUniverse also operates offices in Indianapolis. For more information or to publish a book, please visit iuniverse.com or call 1-800-AUTHORS. For the latest, follow @iuniversebooks on Twitter.