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  • Published: 2 April 2018
  • ISBN: 9781760146702
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 208

I Am Sasha




One boy’s extraordinary experience of wartime survival . . .
One mother’s incredible courage . . .
Based on an astounding true story.

It is German-occupied Poland in 1942 and Jewish lives are at risk. Nazi soldiers order young boys to pull down their trousers to see if they are circumcised. Many are summarily shot or sent to the camps.
A remarkable mother takes an ingenious step. To avoid suspicion, she trains her teenage son to be a girl: his clothing, voice, hair, manners and more. Together, mother and son face incredible odds as their story sweeps backwards and forwards across occupied Europe.
'A remarkable act of love by writing.' Morris Gleitzman
‘A compelling reminder of the cruelty of discrimination . . . and a testament to a boy’s bravery, sublimating his true identity in the face of ever-present danger.’ Simon French
‘An astonishing story of survival set against the backdrop of the Holocaust.’ Mark Baker, Associate Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Monash University

  • Published: 2 April 2018
  • ISBN: 9781760146702
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 208

About the author

Anita Selzer

Anita Selzer writes non-fiction for children and adults. Her interest is in women and history. She has written about Australian sportswomen who achieved at high levels including the Olympics: athletes, basketballers, golfers, hockey players, netballers and swimmers; girls’ education in Australia; governors’ wives in Australia; and the pastoral pioneers of Como House. Before becoming a writer, Anita was a teacher of English and Politics and completed Masters and Doctorate degrees in Education, focusing on gender and history.
Anita is married with three children and lives in Melbourne.

Praise for I Am Sasha

Truly compelling reading with an intensity that will capture readers both male and female, this memoir also includes photographs. This is a not-to-be-missed book and definitely an addition to your upper primary and secondary shelves.

Sue Warren, Just So Stories

... here is a book centred on World War II worth reading. It was one of those hard-to-put-down books. A gripping tale of amazing courage.

Daily Examiner, Grafton NSW

Awards & recognition

NSW Premier's History Awards

Shortlisted  •  2019  •  Young People's History Prize

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Teachers' notes