About the book

As a 21 year old Jewish woman, Sofia was apprehended on a day trip to Krakow and imprisoned for the next nineteen months by the Gestapo. Into the Abyss charts her journey, from a sunny train ride in early May, to a snowy Christmas eve in Montelupich prison, to a rainy September in the damp barracks of Plaszow concentration camp.

Originally hand-written in Polish, this book provides insight into both the inhumane acts committed by Nazi forces and the nightmarish events experienced by inmates, along with the difficult - yet at times, startlingly beautiful and poignant moments found in the midst of suffering. 

  The story…

The manuscript of this book, originally in Polish, was written around 5 years after WWII ended.

It traveled with Sofia from Poland to New York by boat in 1968, remaining mostly unknown (even to her family). It was only found years later, after Sofia’s death, while her daughter was cleaning out her room.

About the author

After the war, Sofia worked as a Doctor in Poland, although having gone to journalism school for one year (against her mother's wishes), always harbored ambitions of a career in writing. She was dedicated to her patients and regularly spent night shifts at the hospital. Years later, she developed a brain tumor while living in America, the cause suspected to be physical trauma sustained at Plaszow concentration camp. Despite everything that happened, Sofia always kept a positive outlook on life and an easy going attitude after the war. She died in Watertown, Massachusetts, where she lived with her family.