Hana's suitcase

in march 2000, a suitcase arrived at a children's holocaust education center in tokyo, japan from the auschwitz museum in germany. fumiko ishioka, the center's curator, was captivated by the writing on the outside that identified its owner: "hana brady, may 16, 1931, waisenkind (the german word for orphan)." children visiting the center asked: who was hana brady? what happened to her? inspired by their curiosity and her own need to know, fumiko began a year of detective work, scouring the world for clues. her search led her from present-day japan, europe and north america back to 1938 czechoslovakia to learn the story of hana brady, a fun-loving child with wonderful parents, a protective big brother, and a passion for ice skating, their happy life turned upside down by the invasion of the nazis.