Run, Boy, Run

“Srulik, there’s no time. I want you to remember what I’m going to tell you. You have to stay alive. You have to! Get someone to teach you how to act like a Christian, how to cross yourself and pray. . . . The most important thing, Srulik, he said, talking fast, is to forget your name. Wipe it from your memory. . . . But even if you forget everything—even if you forget me and Mama—never forget that you’re a Jew.”

And so, at only eight years old, Srulik Frydman says goodbye to his father for the last time and becomes Jurek Staniak, an orphan on the run in the Polish countryside at the height of the Holocaust. With the danger of capture by German soldiers ever-present, Jurek must fight against starvation, the punishing Polish winters, and widespread anti-Semitism as he desperately searches for refuge. Told with the unflinching honesty and unique perspective of such a young child, Run, Boy, Run is the extraordinary account of one boy’s struggle to stay alive in the face of almost insurmountable odds—a story all the more incredible because it is true.

Based on the unforgettable true story of one boy’s resilience, this novel explores:

Hiding in Plain Sight: The harrowing choice to forget his own name, Srulik, and become Jurek, a Christian orphan, to survive in the Polish countryside. World War II Historical Fiction: A meticulously researched and unflinching look at the dangers of wartime Poland through the eyes of a child fugitive. A Test of Faith and Identity: Holding on to his father’s last words—to never forget he is a Jew, even while pretending to be someone else. Based on a True Story: The incredible and inspiring true account of Yoram Frydman, a boy who faced starvation, capture, and the loss of everything to stay alive.