HIDING IN THE SPOTLIGHT A MUSICAL PRODIGY'S STORY OF SURVIVAL 1941-1946, by Greg Dawson. New York 2009 - dedicated copy by author - her son Greg Dawson.
The amazing story of Zhanna Arshanskaya Dawson is told by her son Greg Dawson. Zhanna, a native of a small village near Ukraine, demonstrated special talent for music from a young age. In 1941, the German army entered Ukraine on its way to Moscow. Zhanna, along with thousands of Jews, was captured and led to execution in Drobitsky Yar. Just a few kilometers from certain death, she managed to escape with her father's words echoing in her ears: "No matter what you do, the most important thing is to live!". She arrived in a rural Russian area, and tried to start her life there. In the village she would occasionally play the piano, until one evening a local man who was enthused by her talent handed her over to the Nazis. Within a short time she had become the most admired girl, performing for Nazi officers and soldiers, and thus through the power of her talent she managed to survive the war, as detailed in the book before us. At the end of the war she performed for the survivors of the Dachau camp and the American soldiers who liberated them. Her son, the author who dedicates the book, tells his mother's story, has been a journalist in Florida for over 40 years.
[10], 278 pages. Very good condition.
