Romek's Lost Youth - The Story of a Boy Survivor

Batory Publishing is pleased to announce that our new title has just been released, 

"Romek's Lost Youth - The Story of a Boy Survivor" Narrated by Ken Roman and written by John James.

This memoir has been decades in the making - from the initial concept for writing it, the collaboration between Ken Roman and his friend John James, and efforts find a publisher. And now in 2022, it has finally been published, by Batory Publishing

The passage of time, and countless barriers could not dissuade the authors from following their vision. Though Ken Roman passed away in 2016 ( and John James years earlier) the dream has not diminished.  I carried on with a determination to fulfill his dream, to honour his memory, so that his story will never die. 

Memoirs are timeless, and ageless;  they have been written throughout the ages - even as far back as 58 B.C. when Julius Caesar wrote his commentaries on the Gallic War, which can be considered a memoir.  But it wasn't until the 17th or 18th century, that the memoir transformed into what we know of it today -  a written encapsulation of the innermost mind, spirit, and feelings of the author. Memoirs are like a tapestry - revealing a series of moments, and experiences, and crafting these intangibles into powerful words somewhat like vignettes, upon which our minds dwell.  

Memoir, the word, is French in origin - it means to "Remember".   The writing is based on the memories of the author - it compels us to "Remember" his story - and to recount his story to others. It is the thread of our civilization - one cannot go forward without knowing the past.

Every year there are fewer war veterans - and fewer Holocaust survivors. When they are all gone, there will be nobody left to tell us what happened.

We have only their memoirs to preserve, through which we then "Remember" their stories, and pass it on to others - in doing this we honour them and commemorate them for having survived the most terrible catastrophe of human existence.

the Holocaust....the Shoah