Malibu author Tema Merback’s novel, “In the Face of Evil,” has been selected as a finalist for the 2011 National Jewish Book Award.
The novel is based on the true story of the author’s mother Dina and her teenage years during the Holocaust.
“[The book] is a gripping account of the daily life of Polish Jewry, their hopes and dreams of a better world prior to the Nazis’ invasion,” a press release from the Jewish National Book Council states. “The destruction of that world and the ensuing years of ghetto, forced labor, concentration camps and death camps are portrayed through the eyes of a teenager who struggles to understand and survive.”
The novel is one of the finalists for the category of Children’s and Young Adult Literature by the Jewish National Book Council’s Board of Directors.
Merback lives in Malibu with her husband and two children. She is a first-time author and a former Kathryn McBride scholar at Bryn Mawr College.
The author’s mother, whom the book is based on, is 82 years old and lives in Thousand Oaks. She has spoken of her experiences during the Holocaust at many schools and synagogues.