Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

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

In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer
In My Hands Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer
Author: Irene Opdyke
ISBN-13: 9780613495004
ISBN-10: 0613495004
Publication Date: 12/2001
Pages: 248
Reading Level: Young Adult
Rating:
  ?

0 stars, based on 0 rating
Publisher: Rebound by Sagebrush
Book Type: School Library Binding
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

18 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

rockmom66 avatar reviewed In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer on + 47 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
A very good book. I read this book in a couple days. Very easy read. A different than usual book about the Holocaust,but with the same gut & heart wrenching terrible feelings. A must for the Holocaust survivor "reader".
reviewed In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer on + 25 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
A moving story that is unforgettable. The courage of this lady when she was just a young girl is overwhelming. I found myself wondering if I would have the faith, courage, strength to do what she accomplished. A must read for all!
miss-info avatar reviewed In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer on + 386 more book reviews
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.
reviewed In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer on + 38 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This is a wonderful book - one that you will mull over and it will sit in your soul for days.
reviewed In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer on + 12 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This was a very moving and wonderful book. The encounters, fear and real life of the holocaust and those living in and through it! Reading this might bring a tear or two to your eyes but it's a great book, i had to read for a class and kept afterwards!
BriSplit avatar reviewed In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer on + 17 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
When I was 13 I read this book and I have recommended it to many friends and never forgotten it. It was hard at first to read as I'm sensitive and easily become emotionally involved in what I'm reading, but this is a touching story and one that is hard to put down.
reviewed In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer on + 82 more book reviews
" Few memoirs of the Holocaust tell in such vivid detail what it was like for a non-jew to risk life day after day, year after year, to save the lives of people Hitler was bound to exterminate. No one reading In My Hands will ever forget the devotion to humanity this young Polish Catholic girl lived, and almost died, by. "

author of the book.

This book is well written. There were many points within the story, in which my stomach was in knots. This is the story of survivial and the will to save others.
reviewed In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer on + 80 more book reviews
Amazing story!
Barry1776 avatar reviewed In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer on + 72 more book reviews
A fascinating, powerful unabridged audio book - the true story of a Holocaust rescuer.
Page5 avatar reviewed In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer on
Excellent book - the reader is quite good as well. An amazing story of a young girl who did whatever she could to save people from execution. The accounts of the bombings she survived left me breathless. Mesmerizing story of a courageous girl.
reviewed In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer on + 60 more book reviews
Wonderful narration of the story. It was insightful to have a perspective from a Polish girl who rescued Jews on the events of WWII outside of a death camp or ghetto. It highlighted what other non-jewish citizens of invaded countries experienced. Some of the images were disturbing, but they really happened and it further highlighted the horrible things that happened to people at the hands of the Nazi party. But what this young lady did was amazing and inspiring and her story is incredible.
reviewed In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer on + 9 more book reviews
I really enjoyed this book, such courage for a young girl, i could never imagine doing anything shes done. Her amazing story gives much hope in a cruel world, im surprised her story isnt more popular
SouthernChelz avatar reviewed In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer on + 216 more book reviews
Extraordinary biography and memior of what Poland went through during the occupation of the Germans and Russians. I checked this book out at the library for our WWII unit study to read to my family. It is not for the faint of heart. There are many situations in this book that I did have to leave out because Irene tells the whole truth. It is a great book and needs to be read by all. Courage always takes the hard road but thank God there are those in our midst willing to stand up for those that can't.
reviewed In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer on + 160 more book reviews
Having read so many Holocaust survivor memoirs, I did not expect this one to be quite as moving as it was. Irene Gutovna Opdyke was a Polish girl of 17 when war broke out, partitioning Poland into a German and Russian sector. No one wanted the Poles or Jews around. I thought some of the details were embellished or possibly fabricated at first, to make the story more dramatic, but later I realized these details were provided to show the harsh conditions endured by all those affected by the war. There is a good Polish pronunciation guide, as well as maps showing areas described in Poland, Ukraine, and General Gouvernement.
reviewed In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer on + 32 more book reviews
Wonderful book. Unique writing, and how she paces the story is so natural and uncontrived. I never felt like I was reading someone's else's reality. It was like she was speaking in a soft voice almost like a whisper, telling about her life.
reviewed In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer on + 6 more book reviews
This was an amazing book. I read it right after my trip to Poland last year and parts of it had me in tears. But it was wonderful.
reviewed In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer on
Excellent book. It was required for a college class I took, but it is definitely worth reading.
Lissa avatar reviewed In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer on + 224 more book reviews
good book