From Sand and Ash

This book takes place in Italy in WWII 1943 when Germany occupies much of their country placing the Jewish population in grave danger. The family in this book has severe hardships, danger, and loss during the war.

The title comes from a beautiful analogy of how something pretty is made from sand and ash which are the ingredients of glass —beauty created from great loss. The father in the story invested his wealth into helping Jewish refugees survive. His daughter perseveres to make glass from ash. I think a worthwhile lesson and read.