Simcha Guterman's, Leaves from Fire, is a firsthand account written with the deep sense of comprehension he was documenting the fate of his people. Knowing full well that his life was in danger, Simcha chronicled the occurrences of the Holocaust on long scraps of paper, as they happened right before his eyes. The events described take place in Poland, during the first years of World War II. The author stuffed long paper scraps, written in Yiddish, into bottles and hid in them in different places. One of these bottles was discovered after the war. Simcha Guterman's work has been published and translated into eight different languages, receiving high praise from critics. The book's evocative illustrations were drawn by Yaakov Guterman, the author's son.