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In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Gut Opdyke
The book "In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer" is about how Polish-born Irena, now known as Irene, was separated from her family due to World War II. She started working for the enemy, the Germans, and as a result ended up rescuing many Jews when it was unquestionably risky. She ended up saving all their lives; and even helped make a new life. The main reason she did this was because she thought by helping them she was doing the right thing. The main issue in this book is war, which causes several minor issues, and it is evident that war can bring injustice to many people.
Pre-World War II, life, at first, was quite normal. Irena and the rest of her family, who happened to be a non-Jewish Christian family, lived life quite normal, just like most of the other families in Poland, where they were living, at that time. The whole family had food to eat (although not as much as they might have wanted). The whole family still lived under one household and were treated pretty well (of course they were not Jewish). This was a typical lifestyle back then. Normally, before a war starts, a family is in well terms. In other words, a family is more or less like how Irena's family was back then. This was all before September 1, 1939, the start of World War II.
After the first of September, that's when things started to change. Now, Poland was no longer the country it used to be. It was in ruins. This can happen in any war: a country is known for the beauty and then BOOM! it is nothing more than tore down buildings and debris. For example, Irena describes the beginning of the war as follows: "Before I even saw the planes, I began to hear explosions.... Across the field from where I stood, the front of an apartment building suddenly sheared away...a blue plush sofa toppled to the street." The same thing goes to family; families can get separated, or die, or injured, etc. For example, "a toddler whose face was streaked with dirt and tears.... I saw a woman whose hands were covered with blood". These examples prove that civilians can easily get affected by war and that life might be fine one day but the next day it is a total disaster.
Even after war is over, several people are still faced with injustice. For example, in the book, Irena made the choice of joining the resistance after escaping the Soviets and Germans. Unfortunately, she was caught, but she escaped the holding place in where the Soviets were holding her. And long after the war ended, about a year and a half, the Soviets caught her. And because of this, she was forced to start a new life in a new country with a new language (The United States). In war, this type of thing happens all the time: people are still victims years and years after a war officially ends. For example, take the Holocaust. Many people were still victims of the Holocaust years after the last camp got liberated. The reason for this was because many people were still left homeless and helpless, not knowing what happened with their family, and to make matters worse, the prejudice still happened. It still happens today.
In conclusion, war has its consequences. And the consequences (most of the time) are perfect examples of injustice. The book "In My Hands" perfectly shows that statement. In the beginning, Irena and everyone is carefree. In the end, everyone who lived through that experience is scarred forever.
Pre-World War II, life, at first, was quite normal. Irena and the rest of her family, who happened to be a non-Jewish Christian family, lived life quite normal, just like most of the other families in Poland, where they were living, at that time. The whole family had food to eat (although not as much as they might have wanted). The whole family still lived under one household and were treated pretty well (of course they were not Jewish). This was a typical lifestyle back then. Normally, before a war starts, a family is in well terms. In other words, a family is more or less like how Irena's family was back then. This was all before September 1, 1939, the start of World War II.
After the first of September, that's when things started to change. Now, Poland was no longer the country it used to be. It was in ruins. This can happen in any war: a country is known for the beauty and then BOOM! it is nothing more than tore down buildings and debris. For example, Irena describes the beginning of the war as follows: "Before I even saw the planes, I began to hear explosions.... Across the field from where I stood, the front of an apartment building suddenly sheared away...a blue plush sofa toppled to the street." The same thing goes to family; families can get separated, or die, or injured, etc. For example, "a toddler whose face was streaked with dirt and tears.... I saw a woman whose hands were covered with blood". These examples prove that civilians can easily get affected by war and that life might be fine one day but the next day it is a total disaster.
Even after war is over, several people are still faced with injustice. For example, in the book, Irena made the choice of joining the resistance after escaping the Soviets and Germans. Unfortunately, she was caught, but she escaped the holding place in where the Soviets were holding her. And long after the war ended, about a year and a half, the Soviets caught her. And because of this, she was forced to start a new life in a new country with a new language (The United States). In war, this type of thing happens all the time: people are still victims years and years after a war officially ends. For example, take the Holocaust. Many people were still victims of the Holocaust years after the last camp got liberated. The reason for this was because many people were still left homeless and helpless, not knowing what happened with their family, and to make matters worse, the prejudice still happened. It still happens today.
In conclusion, war has its consequences. And the consequences (most of the time) are perfect examples of injustice. The book "In My Hands" perfectly shows that statement. In the beginning, Irena and everyone is carefree. In the end, everyone who lived through that experience is scarred forever.
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