Determined · A Memoir

"If Martin Baranek's memoir of his hellish journey were fiction, I would dismiss it as

beyond comprehension. The fact that in this book Martin's own words testify in some

detail to his experiences from ghetto to work camp to extermination camps to death

march to liberation and eventual arrival to the Land of Israel, powerfully teaches us that

the unbelievable actually happened. This is an eye opening window into humanity at its

lowest and cruelest. It is also one human being's intense will to survive and rebuild his

life anew. I found it riveting and gut wrenching. Martin Baranek's journey is a triumph

of hope over despair."

--Rabbi Gary Glickstein

"I first encountered Martin Baranek as an articulate and reflective survivor in the course

of my research on the Wierzbnik ghetto and the Starachowice slave labor camps. As

his powerful memoir records, these were but the first two circles of Hitler's inferno

through which he descended in the years of the Holocaust. They were followed by

Birkenau, Mauthausen, and Gunskirchen, with each stage of his incredible odyssey

more challenging and horrifying than the previous one. Martin's overall story remains

very powerful."

--Christopher R. Browning, Frank Porter Graham Professor of History Emeritus,

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

"It has been said that a thousand doors had to open and close in the exact right time

and succession in order for one to survive the Holocaust. If even one door opened or

closed at the wrong time, your fate was sealed. Unlike 6 million other Jews, the

doors Martin Baranek went through appeared for him at just the right time. But

his survival was not just a matter of luck. Shining through on every page of this

exceptionally moving tale are Martin's courage, perseverance and sheer will to live

under the most brutal of conditions This painfully honest account is a true testament to

the power of the human spirit to triumph over unimaginable adversity. Martin' story is a

remarkable memoir that is nothing short of inspiring.You may have questions about

God after reading this book - but you will most certainly believe in miracles."

--Eli Rubenstein, National Director, March of the Living Canada

"...This is a fascinating chronicle of the Holocaust by an amazing man who shares the

tale of his painful tragedy and the triumph of his survival against all odds. We are

privileged that Martin has shared his story with countless participants of the March of

the Living that will pass on his message of NEVER FORGET to future generations..."

--Mel Mann, Executive Director - Friends of the March of the Living, Miami, FL