Sonia’s Song by Sonia Korn-Grimani

Author/singer Sonia Korn-Grimani is making stops throughout blogdom on her WOW Blog Tour with her haunting memoir, SONIA’S SONG. I had the pleasure of welcoming two of her editors here last week to talk about Sonia’s memorable story.

I also had the pleasure of reading SONIA’S SONG and listening to the music from her beautiful album, Chansons de ma Vie: Songs of Love from Around the World. SONIA’S SONG is her story of triumph over the devastation of her life during World War II as an seven-year-old "enemy of the state." Sonia lived through the ordeal and went on to become a singer on both radio and television, as well as French tutor to the Queen of Malaysia.

Thanks to Sonia and the good folks at WOW, I have a downloadable gift bag to giveaway to one lucky visitor. The gift bag will include: an eBook copy of SONIA’S SONG (winner’s choice of either e-pub, mobi, or .pdf) and an iTunes download of Sonia’s music CD “Chansons de ma Vie: Songs of Love from Around the World.” The giveaway is open internationally. Please see the end of the post for the guidelines.

Sonia was born just as Hitler began his rise to power in 1931. By the time she was seven years old, she was declared an enemy of the German State. Being from a Jewish family, Sonia and her family were given a grim option - they could disappear or be rounded up and sent to certain death.

They escaped and had to live in hiding from persecution until she was placed in an orphanage three years later. There Sonia and more than 20 other Jewish children were disguised as Catholic orphans and kept near starvation by the corrupt proprietress of the orphanage. One saving grace for Sonia during these hardships was her ability to sing. Following the war Sonia immigrated to Australia and became an international sensation of radio and television. 

SONIA’S SONG is a complex story following a young girl’s tragedy and sadness in the wake of a devastating war, how she survived, and used her singing to spread hope and love. It’s a story of never giving up and a family love and dedication. It’s a story of overcoming adversity and living life with a passion.

The story flows smoothly and pulls the reader in, holding them captive till the end. It is filled with moments of laughter, tears, joy, sadness, rage (for me as a reader at what she endured) and hope. It depicts the determination of a young girl and the horrors she (and so many others) had to face just to survive.

This is also a reminder that war effects more than just those fighting. Despite that the author focuses on moving forward and not dwelling on the sadness. It’s an amazing and inspiring story that will touch your heart and remain with you long after the last paragraph is read.

Sonia’s companion album, Chansons de ma Vie: Songs of Love from Around the World, is a collection of beautifully haunting melodies. These are tender and uplifting melodies are rare recordings from Sonia’s radio and television programs, as well as her out-of-print vinyl recordings, spanning her long and celebrated career. 

Author Sonia Korn-Grimani’s website is http://soniassong.claygrouse.com/.

Sonia’s Song by Sonia Korn-Grimai, Clay Grouse Press, @2012, ISBN: 978-0984555833, Paperback, 204 Pages

FTC Full Disclosure - An eBook copy of this book and downloadable album were sent to me as part of the author’s blog tour in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.

Now for the giveaway guidelines. To enter, send me an e-mail (mcbookshelf@gmail.com) with the subject line, “Win Sonia‘s Song Gift Bag.” Your message should include your name. The contest is open internationally. The deadline to enter this giveaway for a chance to win the downloadable gift bag will be 8 p.m. (EST) on Thursday, Oct. 25. Remember the gift bag will include: an eBook copy of SONIA’S SONG (winner’s choice of either e-pub, mobi, or .pdf) and an iTunes download of Sonia’s music CD “Chansons de ma Vie: Songs of Love from Around the World.” 

Do you enjoy reading memoirs? What about true stories set during war-torn times? Thanks so much for stopping by today. Hope you have a great day.