A True Story of Survival in Auschwitz and Mauthausen
A haunting story beautifully told, The Boy in the Back is a stunning testimony to the power of the human spirit—essential reading for anyone who values life.
On his 16th birthday, June 5, 1944, Jan Blumenstein and his family are driven like livestock to the cattle cars outside of town. Today, as the chilling echoes of “never again” ring increasingly hollow, the relevance of The Boy in the Back becomes painfully evident. An unflinching chronicle of terror, determination and resilience, this book tells Jan’s life story from the terror of the Nazi trains to Auschwitz, to the joy of a peaceful old age. Through his lens, we confront the October 7 massacre and the uncomfortable reality that history’s shadows are creeping back into the present. Deeply moving, this memoir is essential reading for anyone who values life.
LAUNCH: 19 September 2025
Fern Lebo has been writing professionally since 1975. Her last book, The Talent Revolution, was published by The University of Toronto Press and has been translated into three languages. Following the October 7 massacre, Fern began interviewing Jan Blumenstein and writing his memoir. Her evocative style conveys Jan’s courage and tenacious will to live, creating an intimate connection with The Boy in the Back, Jan’s true account of survival as told to Fern, his friend and writing voice.
