For Those I Loved

Far surpassing any thriller novel, this is the amazing, true story of a man who epitomizes the indomitable human spirit. When fourteen-year-old Martin Gray finds himself and his family looting their own Warsaw factory, scrambling out of the ruins carrying sackfuls of gloves after its bombing by the Germans, his talent for quietly observing what is going on around him becomes his secret weapon. He watches, brick by brick, as his beloved neighborhood is sealed off from the rest of Warsaw, imprisoning everyone inside. He watches who wears blue; who wears white armbands, the Star of David; yellow armbands. He studies the streetcars passing through the ghetto gates to the outside. He creates a smuggling operation, hopping on and off streetcars, hiding his armband in his shirt, knowing who to bribe, creating false papers, speaking German or Polish, flirting with death, in and out, in and out, everyday. All for those he loves. This story follows Martin as he is captured with his family and taken by train to the Treblinka Concentration camp, and details his escape and heroic efforts to build a new life. This remarkable man is alive today, and his riveting story speaks to the enduring triumph of the human spirit. For Those I Loved was first published by Little, Brown & Co. in 1972, and was a New York Times bestseller as well as a bestseller in 20 languages. Including two other books in English and nine others in French, Martin Gray's books have been read by an estimated 30 million people worldwide. He was awarded the United Nations "Dag Hammarskjöld" award.