We Must Not Think of Ourselves

From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Grodstein, a story inspired by a little-known piece of the history of the Jewish occupants of the Warsaw Ghetto in World War II. Called a “masterpiece” and chosen as a Today show Read with Jenna book club pick (Madeline Miller).

On a November day in 1940, teacher Adam Paskow becomes a prisoner in the Warsaw Ghetto, where the Jews of the city are cut off from their former lives and held captive by Nazi guards to await an uncertain fate. Weeks later, he is approached by a mysterious figure with a surprising request: Would he join a secret group of archivists working to preserve the truth of what is happening inside the ghetto’s walls? 

Adam agrees and begins taking testimonies from his students, friends, and neighbors. Their stories form a portrait of endurance in a world where no choices are good ones. One of the people Adam interviews is his flatmate Sala Wiskoff, who is stoic, determined, and funny—and married with two children. Over the months of their confinement, in the presence of her family, they fall in love. As they desperately carve out intimacy, their relationship feels both impossible and vital, their connection keeping them alive. But when Adam discovers a possible escape from the Ghetto, he is faced with an unbearable choice: whom can he save, and at what cost ? 

Inspired by the real testimony-gathering project with the code name Oneg Shabbat, and told with immediacy and heart, We Must Not Think of Ourselves is a piercing story of love, determination, and sacrifice.