Tasa's Song

Book excerpt: An extraordinary novel inspired by true events. 1943. Tasa Rosinski and five relatives, all Jewish, escape their rural village in eastern Poland—avoiding certain death—and find refuge in a bunker beneath a barn built by their longtime employee. A decade earlier, ten-year-old Tasa dreams of someday playing her violin like Paganini. To continue her schooling, she leaves her family for a nearby town, joining older cousin Danik at a private Catholic academy where her musical talent flourishes despite escalating political tension. But when the war breaks out and the eastern swath of Poland falls under Soviet control, Tasa’s relatives become Communist targets, her tender new relationship is imperiled, and the family’s secure world unravels. From a peaceful village in eastern Poland to a partitioned post-war Vienna, from a promising childhood to a year living underground, Tasa’s Song celebrates the bonds of love, the power of memory, the solace of music, and the enduring strength of the human spirit. 2016 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY): Bronze Medal, Historical Fiction 2016 Foreword INDIES Book Awards: Finalist - Historical Fiction