Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Knopf Books for Young Readers (1999), Edition: 1st, Hardcover, 288 pages
Description
Recounts the experiences of the author who, as a young Polish girl, hid and saved Jews during the Holocaust.
Subjects
Awards
South Dakota Teen Choice Book Awards (Nominee — 2000)
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Nominee — High School — 2002)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 2000)
Language
User reviews
LibraryThing member cbl_tn
The author of this memoir was a teenager when war broke out in Europe in the 1930s. Although Germany and the Soviet Union both wanted control of Poland, neither country nor their armies had any regard for the Polish people. Irene found herself separated from her family, and she had to grow up too
I have read quite a few Holocaust memoirs. Suffering is common to all of them, but each story of survival and escape is unique. Opdyke's story is a reminder that life is precious and that family and friends are to be cherished. The audio production is excellent, and it includes introductory comments by the author herself. Opdyke's voice adds an intimacy to the experience, and it serves as a reminder that she was a real person and not a character in a novel. Highly recommended.
Show More
quickly, first at the hands of the Russian army, then at the hands of the German. Irene was working in a hotel that housed German officers when she became aware of its proximity to the Jewish ghetto. She was appalled by what she could see and hear from the hotel. She didn't have the ability to help the Jews on a large scale, but the small acts of kindness in her power would make a difference to a few people. She started by leaving food under a hole in the fence. When she realized that the penalty was the same for leaving bits of food as for more daring acts, she did more and more to help as many Jews as she could. She was able to provide employment for several, and then found a place for them to hide when she learned of plans to kill all of the remaining Jews.I have read quite a few Holocaust memoirs. Suffering is common to all of them, but each story of survival and escape is unique. Opdyke's story is a reminder that life is precious and that family and friends are to be cherished. The audio production is excellent, and it includes introductory comments by the author herself. Opdyke's voice adds an intimacy to the experience, and it serves as a reminder that she was a real person and not a character in a novel. Highly recommended.
Show Less
LibraryThing member 5aweek
In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer, by Irene Gut Opdyke
"In My Hands" starts with the author writing to the reader that if she tried to tell you what really happened during the war, told you everything at once, you wouldn't understand it. She includes an image that you won't comprehend
Born in 1922, in Poland, Irene had a happy childhood and a normal life. As a young child, she is saved from death by the family dog, and many in her village are convinced this means she has a great and promising life ahead of her. But for a girl in the 1920s, there weren't many adventures available, and drawn to helping people, Irene decided to go to nursing school.
On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. Irene's school was on the border, and she was immediately thrust into the war as a student nurse, then as a member of the Polish resistance. Living in the woods, part of an army without a country, Irene was selected to go on a mission into a nearby town and was captured by a Russian patrol who raped her and left her for dead. That experience alone would be enough to break almost anybody, but not Irene. The rape is merely the first of an indescribable number of hardships she endured during World War II; I often had tears in my eyes while reading this book. Irene lived through several lifetimes during the war, and while I am around the same age as her, I couldn't imagine surviving anything that she went through.
Irene's story is so many things - it is one of hope, one of courage, one of resistance, one of overcoming the odds, one of doing the right thing. A prisoner herself, while working in a German hotel, Irene did all she could to help those around her, including smuggling out food, warnings, and even hiding 12 Jews in a German officer's home.
Once I started "In My Hands," I couldn't put it down. Irene's story captivated me from beginning to end, and as I came to understand the metaphor of the bird that she starts her story with, I agreed with her. There is no way I could have understood all that she wanted to tell me if I didn't know the whole story, if I didn't know everything she endured and fought for. I found myself wanting to tell everyone I could about her story, and it led to a great talk between my father and myself (we're both history nerds).
While "In My Hands" is marketed as a young adult book, I believe it's beneficial for anyone, of any age, to read it and absorb it. Irene was moved to write her story after hearing that some groups claimed the Holocaust was a hoax, and she spoke for 30 years, imbuing a message of hope and tolerance to children across the country. Hands down, this is the best book I've read all year, and I wish I could thank the author.
5/5.
"In My Hands" starts with the author writing to the reader that if she tried to tell you what really happened during the war, told you everything at once, you wouldn't understand it. She includes an image that you won't comprehend
Show More
until later in the book, the image of a bird falling, a bird that is not a bird. And as you come to understand what the bird really is, your heart will break, and you will know just what Irene means. Born in 1922, in Poland, Irene had a happy childhood and a normal life. As a young child, she is saved from death by the family dog, and many in her village are convinced this means she has a great and promising life ahead of her. But for a girl in the 1920s, there weren't many adventures available, and drawn to helping people, Irene decided to go to nursing school.
On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. Irene's school was on the border, and she was immediately thrust into the war as a student nurse, then as a member of the Polish resistance. Living in the woods, part of an army without a country, Irene was selected to go on a mission into a nearby town and was captured by a Russian patrol who raped her and left her for dead. That experience alone would be enough to break almost anybody, but not Irene. The rape is merely the first of an indescribable number of hardships she endured during World War II; I often had tears in my eyes while reading this book. Irene lived through several lifetimes during the war, and while I am around the same age as her, I couldn't imagine surviving anything that she went through.
Irene's story is so many things - it is one of hope, one of courage, one of resistance, one of overcoming the odds, one of doing the right thing. A prisoner herself, while working in a German hotel, Irene did all she could to help those around her, including smuggling out food, warnings, and even hiding 12 Jews in a German officer's home.
Once I started "In My Hands," I couldn't put it down. Irene's story captivated me from beginning to end, and as I came to understand the metaphor of the bird that she starts her story with, I agreed with her. There is no way I could have understood all that she wanted to tell me if I didn't know the whole story, if I didn't know everything she endured and fought for. I found myself wanting to tell everyone I could about her story, and it led to a great talk between my father and myself (we're both history nerds).
While "In My Hands" is marketed as a young adult book, I believe it's beneficial for anyone, of any age, to read it and absorb it. Irene was moved to write her story after hearing that some groups claimed the Holocaust was a hoax, and she spoke for 30 years, imbuing a message of hope and tolerance to children across the country. Hands down, this is the best book I've read all year, and I wish I could thank the author.
5/5.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bookbrig
I listened to this audio, which was excellent, and the story is fascinating. I also listened to it thinking it was a YA book, which isn't accurate I guess. I think I'll bring it to our schools anyway, because Irene is a teenager for a good part of the story, and it's so compelling I think they'll
It also has stark parallels to several current situations, and I found her very first acts to help Jewish people in the ghettos encouraging for when you're overwhelmed by a situation. That moment of "I can't fix this, but I can offer a small act," is such a good reminder that small things count even if you sometimes feel like nothing you can do will matter.
Show More
find it interesting. It does touch on very dark things as well as very hopeful things, but it didn't feel too graphic for our middle school students. It also has stark parallels to several current situations, and I found her very first acts to help Jewish people in the ghettos encouraging for when you're overwhelmed by a situation. That moment of "I can't fix this, but I can offer a small act," is such a good reminder that small things count even if you sometimes feel like nothing you can do will matter.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Angelic55blonde
This is a really great addition to the literature already out there on the Holocaust. I really enjoyed reading this book and it was easy to get through.
LibraryThing member Marlene-NL
Good book. Interesting to see how it was in Poland where the Germans took many of the European Jews.
LibraryThing member schatzi
** mild spoilers below **
This was an amazing story of how a Polish woman helped save the lives of over a dozen Jews during the Holocaust (she hid twelve of them in a Nazi officer's house, and she helped others living in the forest). It's even more powerful since Irene suffered so much during the
This was an amazing story of how a Polish woman helped save the lives of over a dozen Jews during the Holocaust (she hid twelve of them in a Nazi officer's house, and she helped others living in the forest). It's even more powerful since Irene suffered so much during the
Show More
war herself - she was raped by Russian soldiers, forced to be a Nazi's mistress to help protect her Jewish friends, lost her first love (a Polish partisan) during a raid, lost her father (who was murdered by the Nazis), and never saw her mother again (she died after Irene fled Poland for the United States). It's an amazing story of courage and survival. Show Less
LibraryThing member Salsabrarian
A true story of Irene, a young Polish woman, who, during WWII, while in the employ of a Nazi major, hid a dozen Jews and assisted many others in hiding. The amazing end to the story: the general accidentally came face to face with a couple of the hidden women and, because he was in love with Irene,
Show More
did nothing. Show Less
LibraryThing member benuathanasia
It was fascinating to see how she essentially "fell" into being a savior. The narrator had her own dramas during the war, but went out of her way and risked her life many times to lessen the turmoil others suffered. A beautiful narrative.
LibraryThing member ErstwhileEditor
Wow! In spite of the travails Irena Gut (later Opdyke) encountered during and after World War II, this book ends up being uplifting. It shows that even a young person can make a huge positive difference in the lives of numerous people. I am in awe of what Irene accomplished and hope that bother
Show More
people will read this book and be similarly inspired. Show Less
LibraryThing member Kristelh
Memoir of Irene Gut Opdyke, a Polish girl during WWII who worked to help save Jews.
LibraryThing member ToniFGMAMTC
This is the true story of a Polish girl during WWII. She was underage but left home to study to be a nurse. War breaks out. She spends several years being sent to different areas and working for different groups. She's raped and goes hungry sometimes. She becomes a spy of sorts, sneaking food to
Show More
Jews, hiding them and helping them to escape. It's a truly inspiring story and gave me the feels. Show Less
LibraryThing member kslade
Excellent story of a Holocaust rescuer in Poland.
ISBN
0679891811 / 9780679891819
Other editions
In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Gut Opdyke (Paperback)