It’s Meet the Author Monday! Each week we meet a new author and get to know a little about them, their writing process, publishing experience, and tips for other writers. Today we’re talking to Janet Bond Brill, author of “Little Edna’s War“.
About Janet Bond Brill:
Janet Bond Brill was born and raised in New York City, the daughter of a prominent stage and screen actor and a psychoanalyst. After graduating from the Walden School at sixteen and earning her B.S. in Biology from the University of Miami, she spent seven years as a flight attendant for Pan American World Airways before returning to academia.
Dr. Brill holds a Ph.D. in Exercise Science from the University of Miami, along with two master’s degrees, one in Exercise Science from the University of Miami and another in Nutrition Science from Florida International University. She is the author of four nationally recognized health books, including CHOLESTEROL DOWN and BLOOD PRESSURE DOWN, published by Random House, as well as numerous scientific papers and articles for lay publications.
For thirty-seven years, Dr. Brill was privileged to know and love her mother-in-law, Holocaust survivor and WWII child hero, Edna Stefania Brill. Their profound bond and Edna’s trust in sharing her story inspired Dr. Brill to move from health writing to historical memoir, determined to record Edna’s experiences for future generations—her first memoir and perhaps her most important work.
Dr. Brill has twice presented Edna’s story at the Pacific Lutheran University Powell-Heller Conference for Holocaust Education, honoring her promise to ensure that Edna’s experiences will never be forgotten. She believes that preserving survivor testimony is essential not only to
honor those who perished and those who survived, but also to illuminate the catastrophic consequences of unchecked hatred and to awaken humanity’s obligation to stand against it.
Dr. Brill lives in Pennsylvania with her husband Sam, Edna’s son. Together they have three
children, Rachel, Mia, and Jason, and two grandchildren who carry forward their great-grandmother’s legacy.
About Little Edna’s War:
They tried to erase her.
Instead, she became a legend.
At just seven years old, Edna Szurek risked everything to smuggle food through holes in the Warsaw Ghetto wall, knowing each step could be her last. By the age of 10, she was the youngest decorated member of the Polish resistance. And by the end of the war, she had defied every Nazi plan for her destruction.
Though she fought armed with a pistol, Edna’s true weapons were wit, bravery, and an unshakable love for her sister. Disguised as a Catholic girl, she even earned a medal from Pope Pius XII, who never knew he was honoring a Jewish child who had outsmarted the Reich.
Drawn from over five hours of her firsthand testimony recorded by the USC Shoah Foundation, this powerful memoir traces Edna’s impossible journey: from the ashes of a shattered birthday celebration to the brutal reality of a POW camp, escaping the deadly confines of the Warsaw Ghetto to find the hidden safety of a convent sanctuary.
Edna Szurek should not have survived the Holocaust. But she did. And her story will stay with you forever.
Author Interview with Janet Bond Brill:
- Does writing energize or exhaust you?
I would say both. When I become entrenched in researching and writing a book, I go into another world—I guess it’s a passion of mine and also a means of escaping this world. That can be very energizing, but when deadlines hit and I start to panic, it becomes exhausting.
My Holocaust book about my mother-in-law was exhausting for my psyche in a different way
entirely. I had to walk in the evil world of Nazi Germany, and I had to relive my mother-in-law’s
horrors, which was extremely difficult to deal with emotionally. Writing her story drained me in
ways my health books never did—but it was also the most important work I’ve ever done.
- What do you owe the real people upon whom you base your characters?
Everything. This isn’t fiction; these are real people who lived, suffered, and in many cases, died.
I owe them the truth, told with dignity and care.
For my mother-in-law Edna, I owed her accuracy above all else. She entrusted me with her story,
and I had a sacred responsibility to honor her voice, her memories, and her truth exactly as she
shared them with me over our 37 years together. I couldn’t embellish for dramatic effect or soften the horror to make it more palatable. Her story is what it is, and that’s what readers need to hear.
I also owe her family (my husband, her son, our children, her great-grandchildren) a portrayal
that honors who she was: not just a victim, but a survivor, a hero, a woman of remarkable strength and grace. And I owe the six million who didn’t survive the witness of someone who
did. Their memory demands that I get this right.
- What is your work schedule like when you are writing?
I write for hours and hours a day when I’m deep in a project. However, especially with this book,
I needed to decompress for my mental and physical health, so I made sure to take yoga classes,
get in some cardio, and strength train twice a week. Writing about the Holocaust required me to
build in those breaks—not just for my body, but for my mind. I couldn’t stay immersed in that
darkness without giving myself space to breathe and reset.
- What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
I was trained as a scientific researcher, and I really enjoy the process. For my health books, I
meticulously go over the scientific research and base my writing on the data, translated for the
lay person. That process typically takes about a year.
For this book, the approach was different but much more rigorous. This one has been at least five years in the making. I immersed myself in WWII history and drew from my mother-in-law’s
Shoah testimony, her speeches at universities and high schools, videos the grandkids recorded with her, and our countless conversations over 37 years together. I also studied accounts from
other survivors and accessed reputable sources like the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the
Arendt files, the Arolsen Archives—the list was endless. The research never really stopped; I
continued verifying details and context throughout the entire writing process to honor my
commitment to getting her story right.
- How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
This is my fifth book. I’ve written four nationally recognized health books—Cholesterol Down,
Blood Pressure Down, and Prevent a Second Heart Attack, published by Random House, and
another book published by Wiley. Those books came from my desire to help people, translating
complex research into practical advice that could improve their lives.
But this book, my Holocaust memoir about my mother-in-law Edna, is my favorite without question. It’s the most important work I’ve ever done. This book is my gift to my husband, in the
hope that maybe, just maybe, it will help ease his pain. Writing Edna’s story wasn’t just about
documenting history; it was about honoring the woman we both loved and ensuring her courage and survival would never be forgotten. This book came from my heart in a way my health books never could.
- If your book was to be made into a movie, who are the celebrities that would star in it?
Meryl Streep would play older Edna—she has the gravitas and emotional depth to capture my
mother-in-law’s strength and resilience as a survivor. She also had that authentic Polish accent in Sophie’s Choice, so she could bring Edna’s voice to life. For younger Edna, my niece Remy
Bond would be perfect. She’s a rising star, a singer at 21, and she has the spirit to portray Edna’s
story. Her sister Olivia could play Miriam, Edna’s sister. Both girls are performers in Hollywood,
and it would be meaningful to have young talent from our family involved in telling Edna’s story.
- Your hero?
My mother-in-law, Edna Stefania Brill. Without question. She survived the unimaginable with grace, strength, and an unshakeable will to live. She endured horrors that would have broken
most people, yet she built a beautiful life, raised a family, and never let hatred consume her. Edna taught me what true courage looks like—not just surviving, but choosing to love, to hope, and to share her story so others would remember. She is my hero, and writing this book is my way of honoring the extraordinary woman she was.
To learn more about Janet Bond Brill, here’s where you can find Her:
Website: https://drjanet.com/
Personal LinkedIn: Dr. Janet Brill
Facebook: Nutrition, Health and Fitness Expert Dr. Janet Brill
