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Book Review of In My Hands : Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer

In My Hands : Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer
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Helpful Score: 2


If you're reading a book about the German occupation of Poland, you already know there is going to be violence and cruelty. This book deals with rape, executions of adults & children, prison interrogations, and everything else that goes with the territory, but does it in a respectful and thankfully-not-overly-detailed way. Other books might describe events in a blow-by-blow way, but Irene states things simply and moves on. The war in Poland did not end when Germany withdrew, and neither does this book. The Russians were almost as bad as the Germans, and they hung around until 1984. After the war Irene had to deal with being 23 years old, having lived a lifetime of war already, and suddenly having her entire purpose of being removed. What do you do if you have dedicated your life to saving Jews, and suddenly there is no more need of hiding them in the basement?

If you liked this book, I recommend The Zookeeper's Wife, The Hiding Place, and the Hallmark Movies The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler, and One Against the Wind.