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Women of World War II: Mothers and Children 1

© Katie Anne Gustafsson

Women of World War II: Mothers and Children 1

Recently I've been reading a number of books about World War II and there have been many occasions where I have had to stop reading to hug my baby, thankful that the decisions made by some of the women in occupied Europe are not mine to make. Reading about their experiences is emotional enough, imagining the pain and anguish that these mothers endured is heartbreaking. How could I, as a mother, watch as my child was killed before me? Could I choose which of my children would live? Do I have the strength to protect others in need? Could I put my own household in mortal danger by hiding those who were to be condemned to the death camps? Do I have that much courage? Many of them did. There were many more who did not.

Over the next three weeks I will profile three very different books, each reflecting a different side of the women living under Nazi rule. Each of these books offers first-hand insights into the lives of women for whom the war was very personal. This week takes a look at a girl coming of age during the war and recounts her experiences as both a victim, and then a protector of the persecuted.

BOOK REVIEW

"In My Hands - Memories of a Holocaust Survivor" by Irene Gut Opdyke, with Jennifer Armstrong

Jennifer Armstong has created a book that must rate amongst one of the most powerful civilian accounts of the war. Despite it being aimed at the young adult market, "In My Hands" is of interest to anyone studying World War II, and to followers of Women's History in particular.

Irene Gut Opdyke's experiences, throughout the war read like fiction. The trauma she encountered as her Polish childhood world fell apart and her innocence was taken from her; the resilience she showed when faced with incidents that would have had a lesser person give up; and the courage she displayed as she realised she could no longer stand by and do nothing whilst the Nazis showered horror and death around her, all make fascinating reading. How one young woman could endure so much and yet manage to have so much to give is remarkable. Alongside her personal story, readers see events happening through Irene Gut's eyes as she witnesses the terror around her.

There are books that make you feel the emotion of the person who is telling the story. Books that make you thankful for your own life, no matter what problems you face. Books that are produced in such a style that the images they invoke in your mind remain long after you turn the last page. This is one of those books.

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