Henry

“Everyone who reads Henry becomes a witness.”––Jack Mayer, author of Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project and Before the Court of Heaven

• 2018 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award – Silver for Biography


• 2018 Best Published Nonfiction – Arizona Authors Association


• 2017 Gold for Adult Non-Fiction - The Wishing Shelf Book Awards (UK)

This incredible true story is both a witness to the Holocaust through Polish eyes and the story of how Henry Zguda, a Polish Catholic swimmer, survives Nazi concentration camps Auschwitz and Buchenwald by his wits, humor, luck, and friends. At times humorous, always gut-honest, this account fills a huge gap in historical accounts of Poles during World War II.

May 30, 1942, Kraków Poland. German SS guards arrest Henry Zguda on a dark narrow street for one reason only: he was Polish at a time Germany swore to destroy all of Poland. Two weeks later he arrives at Auschwitz and is now Prisoner #39551. In March 1943 he is transferred to Buchenwald near Weimar Germany. There he is labeled Prisoner #10948

May 3, 1945, Dachau Germany. Near death, Henry writes home for the first time in three years: “Beloved mother, I am alive.”

Katrina Shawver met Henry in 2002 when she wrote for the Arizona Republic, and after one meeting offered to write his story. They soon became close friends and friendship remains a theme throughout. 

Relevant history is woven throughout the account, resulting in a unique perspective of both Jewish and Polish suffering in Nazi-occupied Poland. Henry's story is backed by meticulous research and original documents and photos, many in print for the first time. If you are a discerning adult looking for an intelligent read, this book is for you.

“…a top 'must have' acquisition for any collection strong in Holocaust survival accounts.”–– D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

"Highly recommended."--James Conroyd Martin, author of The Poland Trilogy and The Boy Who Wanted Wings