Author Katrina Shawver will talk about her book Henry: A Polish Swimmer's True Story of Friendship from Auschwitz to America. When Katrina Shawver met the eighty-five year old Henry Zguda, he possessed an exceptional memory, a surprising cache of original documents and photos, and a knack for meeting the right people at the right time. Couched in the interview style of Tuesdays with Morrie, Henry relates in his own voice a life as a champion swimmer, interrupted by three years imprisoned in Auschwitz and Buchenwald as a Catholic Polish political prisoner. Henry’s path of resiliency and power of connection are as relevant today as they were in World War II. Henry reminds us that no single class of people was safe from Hitler’s reach or imprisonment and no country suffered more under Hitler and Stalin than Poland.
Katrina Shawver is a writer, blogger, speaker, and author. She holds a BA from the University of Arizona in English/Political Science, and began her writing career more than twenty years ago by writing hundreds of newspaper columns for The Arizona Republic. Her favorite quote is ”What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” She lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband Rick.