Portland, Ore. Author Wins Christopher Award

Esmé Schwall, Portland, Ore., co-authored The Ballerina of Auschwitz, (young adult, Atheneum/Simon & Schuster’s Children’s Publishing) with La Jolla-based author Dr. Edith Eva Eger, La Jolla, Calif. It is one of 12 books for adults and young people as the Christopher Awards program marks its 76th year.

The Awards celebrate authors, illustrators, writers, producers and directors, whose work “affirms the highest values of the human spirit” and reflect the Christopher motto, “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.”

The book tells the story of Edie, a talented dancer and a skilled gymnast with hopes of making the Olympic team. Between her rigorous training and her struggle to find her place in a family where she’s the daughter “with brains but no looks,” Edie’s too busy to dwell on the state of the world. But life in Hungary in 1943 is dangerous for a Jewish girl.

Just as Edie falls in love for the first time, Europe collapses into war, and Edie’s family is forced onto a train bound for the Auschwitz concentration camp. Even in those darkest of moments, Edie’s beloved Eric kindles hope. “I’ll never forget your eyes,” he tells her through the slats of the cattle car. Auschwitz is horrifying beyond belief, yet through starvation, unthinkable terrors, and daily humiliations like being forced to dance for a Nazi leader, dreams of Eric sustain Edie. Against all odds, Edie and her sister Magda survive, thanks to their sisterhood and sheer grit.

Edie returns home filled with grief and guilt. Survival feels more like a burden than a gift—until Edie recognizes that she has a choice. She can’t change the past, but she can choose how to live and even to love again.

Schwall has co-authored numerous books in the areas of social justice, science, leadership, and personal growth, including New York Times and international bestsellers. She holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Arizona and now serves as the Vice President of Communications at Bridgeway Foundation, a humanitarian organization dedicated to stopping and preventing genocide and mass atrocities. She writes, hikes, and makes music in Portland, where she lives with her two children.

Dr. Eger is an eminent psychologist and one of the few remaining Holocaust survivors who can remember life in the camps. She has worked with veterans, military personnel, and victims of physical and mental trauma. She is also the author of the bestselling and award-winning books “The Choice” and “The Gift.” “The Ballerina of Auschwitz,” the young adult edition of “The Choice,” was named a Sydney Taylor Award Notable Young Adult Book.

Christopher Awards were also given to creators of 9 TV/Cable shows and feature films. They celebrate authors and illustrators as well as writers, producers and directors whose work “affirms the highest values of the human spirit” and reflects the Christopher motto, “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness” which also guides the organization’s publishing and radio programs.

Tony Rossi, The Christophers’ Director of Communications, said, “Our award-winning stories, both true and fictional, highlight people who have the odds stacked against them, but who face their challenges with faith and perseverance, allowing them to move through the darkness into the light and serve a higher purpose than themselves. In other words, these books, films, and TV programs don’t just engage and entertain; they teach, they heal, and they inspire.”

The Christophers, a nonprofit founded in 1945 by Maryknoll Father James Keller, is rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition of service to God and humanity. More information about The Christophers is available at www.christophers.org.

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