My mother began to tell me stories when I was about 12 years old. As the years passed, her stories become even more intricate. I knew one thing for certain, one day, I will write down as much as I could recall, so I did, although it took me over 45 years. The large Willinger family's story begins with a matchmaking attempt and the birth of a number of children. My mother was the second born. Their hardship that I wrote about was common of the era, but through Ilona's life and encounters, the lives of others in the Budapest ghetto come alive and that include her first and significant heartbreak. VOLUME I is two books, the second one concludes on March 21, 1973, the day I arrived in the United States and where I began my own adventures. VOLUME II will continue my life story from 1973 until Present Day. VOLUME III will include fascinating individual stories of my family members.