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A Musical Prodigy's Story of Survival, 1941-1946
by Greg Dawson
Zhanna, a young Jewish girl from Ukraine, also happens to be a gifted piano prodigy and is giving concerts by the age of six. When disaster strikes her hometown and her family is condemned to exile and execution, Zhanna manages to escape the famed Nazi death march to Dorbitsky Yar and uses her rare musical gift to help her survive. Performing and giving concerts for the occupying German troops as they move throughout Europe, Zhanna keeps her true identity a secret until a young American soldier with ties to Julliard adopts her. Upon her emigration to America, Zhanna’s gift flourishes and she becomes one of the first Jewish refugees to enter Julliard.
"Dawson skillfully weaves the story of her life and music into a vibrant tapestry, tattered and torn, yet triumphant." - Publishers Weekly
"A patiently recounted narrative, especially informative about Nazi atrocities in Ukraine." - Kirkus Reviews
This information about Hiding in the Spotlight was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Greg Dawson is the eldest son of Zhanna Arkashyna. Greg has been a journalist for over forty years and has worked for a variety of newspapers, including Boston Herald and Indianapolis Star. Greg is currently a columnist for The Orlando Sentinel. He lives in Orlando.
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