This story could be one story--a child's world, maimed by inconceivable cruelty. A child's heart, irreparably torn.

But this story is another one. In the spring of 1944 at the age of 15, Ted Winestone emerged from two years of hiding in the Belorussian woods. He'd survived typhus, frigid winters and near-starvation to learn that mass murder had robbed him of his mother, his father and his only sibling, as well as countless other family members and friends.

His childhood shattered, Ted Winestone pulled himself towards a life of achievement and happiness. He answered the brutality with hope, responded to a fist with an open hand.

His story is a vigorous affirmation of life, a resounding "yes" in the face of hatred's blight. This story will be read by his children, and grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. But it is a story for all who want to reach a knowledge of our origins and our journeys and who aspire to live with grace and gratitude.