It was 1945 and Romek Wajsman had just been liberated from Buchenwald, a brutal concentration camp where more than 60,000 people were killed. He was starving, tortured, and had no idea where his family was—let alone if they were alive.



Along with 472 other boys, including Elie Wiesel, these teens were dubbed “The Buchenwald Boys.” They were angry at the world for their abuse, and turned to violence: stealing, fighting, and struggling for power. Everything changed for Romek and the other boys when Albert Einstein and Rabbi Herschel Schacter brought them to a home for rehabilitation.



Romek Wajsman, now Robbie Waisman, humanitarian and Canadian governor general award recipient, shares his remarkable journey in this memoir for young readers written by Waisman and Susan McClelland. Boy from Buchenwald is a gripping tale of transforming pain into resiliency and overcoming incredible loss to find incredible joy.



Romek Wajsman, who changed his name to Robbie Waisman when he moved to Canada in 1949, is an accountant by training, a successful businessman, father, grandfather, and beloved international speaker on topics of the Holocaust, healing, reconciliation, and forgiveness. This memoir is about an unsung historical group, and the focus on Romek’s recovery makes this a fresh approach to the Holocaust memoir genre. Boy from Buchenwald also brings to mind the journey that too many teens face today when recovering from personal and national tragedies