About the Books and Play

Izzy’s Fire: Finding Humanity in the Holocaust

“Izzy’s Fire is filled with the passion of one woman determined to do justice to the story of another woman who lived in hiding throughout the war years. The war has soul. One feels the intensity of the struggle to survive. One senses the decency of those who were ready to rescue and the evil that haunted a mother and father and their  young child in the dangerous world they lived…Nancy Wright Beasley has told a powerful story with dignified restraint. She has given voice to an underreported side of the Holocaust – life in hiding.”

Michael Berenbaum, Ph.D., Project Director of the United State Holocaust Memorial Museum (1988-93); Author of The World Must Know: The History of the Holocaust as Told in the United State Holocaust Memorial Museum.

The Little Lion: A Hero in the Holocaust

“Our media, pundits, and politicians speak glibly of heroes. Regrettably, the repeated use of the term “hero” has rendered the word a cliché no longer possessing an authentic significance. And yet Nancy Wright Beasley has achieved what others have not: She has provided a moving, astute example of what heroism is. Set during the Holocaust, her telling of the life and exploits of Laibale Gillman espouses universal themes of courageous self-sacrifice, devotion, love, and compassion. We are fortunate to have Nancy reminding readers of those guiding principles that are the foundation for being.”

Simon Sibelman, Ph.D., Executive Director, Virginia Holocaust Museum (2012-13), and former director, Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies at Appalachian State University

Saving Sara

Saving Sara, a one-act play with one actor depicting seven characters, reflects the heroism of Labaile Gillman and how his actions continue to help people today.

“Before World War II, Kovno, Lithuania, was a significant center for Jewish learning and culture, and it became one of the many casualties of the onslaught against European Jewry. The story of survival must continue to be told, and is powerfully presented through the lens of the Gillman family. Saving Sara is the heart-rending story of salvation of one small remnant, poignantly told by Nancy Wright Beasley in The Little Lion. History’s heroes have left a legacy that will live on forever in stories such as Saving Sara and storytellers such as Beasley.”

Rabbi Gary Creditor, Rabbi Emeritus, Temple Beth-el, Richmond, Virginia

View Trailer of Saving Sara

For more details on these literary works: link to www.nancywrightbeasley.com.