Helene Berr Holocaust Diary

Kept hidden for more than 60 years, the diary of Helene Berr, a young French woman who died in a concentration camp, has been published.

It has been described as a publishing sensation. Helene Berr was a young French student murdered in a Nazi concentration camp. Her recently discovered journal has now hit French bookstores -- and become an immediate bestseller.

"I sense that a great dark path awaits me." The words were written over six decades ago by a young Jewish student named Helene Berr not long before she lost her life in a German concentration camp. But they are only just now coming to light.

The "Helene Berr Journal" was published on Jan. 3 and hit the bookshops in France this week. It is a moving portrayal of how a young woman's carefree life in Paris is slowly shattered as she becomes increasingly certain of her eventual terrible fate.

Described as the publishing sensation of 2008 by the French daily Liberation, the book has likewise been called a "testimonial of rare power" by Le Figaro. And with 26,000 copies sold in just three days, it has been flying off the shelves.

The book will be available in English in September.