This is a Holocaust story like none I've ever read. Mala (Szorer) Kacenberg was not a Jewish victim, she was a Jewish survivor. She lived through World War II and the Holocaust with determination, cunning, an amazing skill for lying, and a really cool cat.
Mala grew up in the Polish village of Tarnogrod. To hear her tell it, she had an idyllic childhood. But that began to change in the late 1930s as the Nazis came to power in Germany and anti-Semitic attitudes increased.
Mala's childhood ended summarily in 1939 when the Germany army invaded Poland when Mala was about 14. The Jews in Tarnogrod and the surrounding countryside were forced into a ghetto in the town. Mala saw her only brother gunned down in front of her. She saw her family begin to starve.
Mala had always been comfortable wandering in the forest, so she took the risk of removing her yellow Jewish star and slipping out of Tarnogrod to beg for food in surrounding villages, pretending to be a Christian girl. She brought the food back to her starving family, and her companion on these forays was a little cat named Malach who followed Mala wherever she went.
While returning from one of these begging trips, Mala saw German soldiers rounding up her family and many of the other Jews. Warned by a Christian friend, Mala fled Tarnogrod and hid. She would learn later that everyone had been packed into wooden buildings and burned alive.
Anyone reading this book expecting a great cat story will be disappointed. Malach makes only occasional cameo appearances, usually at critical moments to warn Mala of danger or to comfort her. Malach is absent from long stretches of the book.
Mala spent the rest of the war on the run, lying about her Jewish identity. She spent about half of the war as a woodscolt, living in the forest and begging for food. The other half of the war she spent as a slave laborer in occupied Poland and in Germany, always lying, dodging informers and German soldiers and other dangers, always accompanied by her cat Malach.
Mala is working at a small hotel in Germany when the Nazi propaganda finally breaks down in 1945. Mala's joy as she realizes that Germany will be defeated is palpable. As the story winds down, Mala makes contact with relief organizations that are helping Jewish refugees. She meets other survivors of the Holocaust, finds distant relatives who also survived, emigrates to England, and the book ends in 1949 with Mala getting married. And with that Mala says her cat vanished forever.
"Mala's Cat" is a good book, one that I'll keep. I'm giving it five stars, but that doesn't mean I'm blind to the book's shortcomings. The title is misleading...this is not a cat story. It's not especially well-written...for such a dramatic story, the writing is rather pedestrian & episodic. And Mala herself says she believes that the cat was a guardian spirit sent to help her through those years on the run. I look askance at that, and I wonder if Malach the cat was just a plot device.
But the rest of the book feels true...Mala Kacenberg is an Anne Frank with guts. If you're looking for a book about the Holocaust with a heroic Jew and a happy ending, "Mala's cat" is your kind of book. The book includes a handy, and interesting, glossary of Hebrew and Yiddish terms.
I had to wonder why we know every detail about Anne Frank, and we've never heard of Mala Kacenberg. The only thing I can guess is that Anne Frank's diary was first out of the gate by about 50 years, and it is much easier to feel sorry for poor tragic Anne Frank than for a tough, savvy little survivor hiding & running & lying & begging & working her way through the Holocaust.
Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Great on Kindle
Great Experience. Great Value.
Putting our best book forward
Each Great on Kindle book offers a great reading experience, at a better value than print to keep your wallet happy.
Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.
View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.
Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.
Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.
Get the free Kindle app: 
Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this book. Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
Frequently bought together
$19.34
Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 1
In Stock
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Similar items that may deliver to you quickly
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Reviews with images
Highly recommend Mala's Cat
Wow! I just finished reading Mala's Cat. It was recommended to me by a friend. I read it cover to cover in two sittings - couldn't put it down. It is such a beautifully articulated story of faith, courage, survival and grace.Those that know me are aware that I read a lot. One of the tell-tale signs of a fantastic book is when I can ‘see’ the scenes and ‘hear’ the dialogue. #MalasCat truly met that mark.sdc
Top reviews from other countries
Mrs. K. J. Ryan
An extraordinary woman
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 18, 2023