Books and events across Flintshire's Aura Libraries

Aura Libraries will mark Holocaust Memorial Day with themed collections available to borrow from your local Library. Holocaust Memorial Day is the international day on January 27 to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, alongside the millions of people murdered under Nazi persecution of other groups and during more recent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

January 27 also marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp. Aura Libraries have many titles that enable you learn more about the past, empathise and take action to create a safer future.

These are some of our Holocaust titles available to borrow from Aura libraries...

Always Remember Your Name by Andra Bucci

Always Remember Your Name by Andra Bucci: Italian sisters Tati (six) and Andra (four) were roused from their sleep and taken to Auschwitz, to the infamous Kinder Block presided over by Josef Mengele, the Angel of Death. By the time Auschwitz was liberated, 230,000 children had been murdered, and the sisters were among only 70 child survivors. Throughout their ordeal, their long journey from Poland to Czechoslovakia and finally to Lingfield House in Britain, they hung on to their promise to their mother to "always remember your name". They never forgot they were Tati and Andra Bucci, and it was this connection to their heritage that brought them miraculously back to their parents, years later and many countries away. The sisters overcame their trauma to live long lives, bearing witness as survivors of the Holocaust. With this book, they break the silence and give us the immeasurable gift of their story.

The Forgers by Roger Moorhouse

The Forgers by Roger Moorhouse: Between 1940 and 1943, a group of Polish diplomats in Switzerland engaged in a wholly remarkable - and until now, completely unknown - humanitarian operation. In concert with Jewish activists, they masterminded a systematic programme of forging passports and identity documents for Latin American countries, which were then smuggled into German-occupied Europe to save the lives of thousands of Jews facing extermination in the Holocaust. The Forgers tells this extraordinary story.

The Boy Who Drew Auschwitz by Thomas Geve

The Boy Who Drew Auschwitz by Thomas Geve: An inspiring true story of one boy's quest for hope, survival and a better tomorrow.

Cilka's Story by Heather Morris

Cilka's Story by Heather Morris: Her beauty saved her life - and condemned her. Cilka is just 16-years-old when she is taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp, in 1942. The Commandant at Birkenau, Schwarzhuber, notices her long beautiful hair, and forces her separation from the other women prisoners. Cilka learns quickly that power, even unwillingly given, equals survival. After liberation, she is charged as a collaborator for sleeping with the enemy and sent to Siberia. But what choice did she have? And where did the lines of morality lie for Cilka, who was sent to Auschwitz when still a child? In a Siberian prison camp, she faces challenges both new and horribly familiar, including the unwanted attention of the guards. But when she makes an impression on a woman doctor, Cilka is taken under her wing. Cilka begins to tend to the ill in the camp, struggling to care for them under brutal conditions.

The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jacu

The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jacu: The moving and inspiring story of an Auschwitz survivor who shares what he's learned about gratitude, tolerance and kindness.

These titles are, available to borrow from the Library or to download as eBook and listen to the audiobook for free from Borrowbox.

Let us know what you think about the titles, find us on social media - @LlyfrgelloeddAuraLibraries on Facebook and Instagram and @LibFlintshire on Twitter.

National Storytelling Week

In 2024, National Storytelling Week will take place from January 27 to February 4.

This fantastic annual event is a joyful celebration of the power of sharing stories. Stories teach us about the world, they allow us to step into someone else's shoes and feel empathy, they help us to relax and escape and they can help develop essential literacy skills.

To celebrate your local Aura Library will be holding a special story and craft sessions

Buckley Library - 01352 703860, Saturday, January 27, 11am

Mold Library - 01352 703780, Monday, January 29, 11am

Flint Library - 01352 703737, Monday, January 29, 11am and 1pm

Connah's Quay Library - 01352 703730, Monday, January 29, 1.30pm

Deeside Library - 01352 703770, Wednesday, January 31, 10.30am

Holywell Library - 01352 703850,Wednesday, January 31, 2pm and Friday, February 2, 10.30am

Broughton Library - 01352 703760, Thursday, February 1, 2.30pm

• Aura is a charitable, not-for-profit, organisation responsible for managing the majority of leisure, libraries and heritage services in Flintshire. Aura is owned by its employees and operates for the benefit of local communities.