caseyae96's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
cr_ashe's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
3.5
It’s a very good story, but the actual writing leaves something to be desired. It’s not a perfect book, but the emotion and raw storytelling make up for a lot of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Child death, Antisemitism, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Grief, Religious bigotry, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, War, Toxic relationship, Hate crime, Gaslighting, Death, Confinement, Violence, Suicide, Rape, Racism, Physical abuse, Murder, and Genocide
Minor: Abortion
It’s the holocaust guys, a lot of bad stuff happens.airclay3's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely incredible!! I loved this book from start to finish. She did incredible work during a time of horrible things. One of my favorite Holocaust books by far, because her story was so well told.
wombat_88's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
5.0
chehr's review against another edition
4.0
It's difficult to say that I enjoyed a book about the Holocaust, however I did enjoy the book. It is very well written. The story was very compelling and from a point of view that I hadn't read before. I felt that the first few chapters were a bit jumbled. Admittedly it was more like a memory which is was this book is. The jumble of it was just a little tedious to get through. This book made me feel incredibly more aware of these two sides of the Holocaust; the persecuted and those that risked their lives to save who they could. I could not imagine having the strength that Irene had, and a such a young age. She is a truly remarkable woman. I wish I had learned more history like hers instead of just the facts of the war and those that were persecuted. I don't mean to diminish those facts, however I feel that leaning about the people that tried to stop what was happening along with these facts would have made me hopeful for humanity. Regardless of that I think that this is quit a good book that more people should know about and read. It certainly put some things in my life in perspective for me.
madamelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
While this is a holocaust book, it's not like others I've read. Irene is a young Polish nursing student when WW II began. From that point on, she has to face much adversity in order to survive. She's not Jewish, but she witnesses the atrocities done to the them. Very powerful story!!