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Anna Mieszkowska
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Irena Sendler: Mother of the Children of the Holcaust Hardcover – January 1, 2011

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 15 ratings
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In the fall of 1999, four young girls from Kansas began research for a high school history project. The students were inspired by a magazine article about Irena Sendler, and after discovering that Sendler was still alive, they exchanged letters with her and eventually traveled to Poland to meet with her. The play the students wrote as a result of their research and multiple interviews spawned worldwide interest in the epic story of one person who managed to save the lives of 2,500 children in Poland under German occupation.

This new translation brings the universally appealing story of Irena Sendler to an English-speaking audience for the first time. It contains moving accounts of courage and hope in the face of tremendous danger, cruelty, and terrifying uncertainty. It also portrays the unspeakable emotional distress suffered by the children's parents who chose to give them up, and communicates the decades of immense longing, loneliness, and guilt of the rescuees for having survived while their families did not.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    224 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Praeger Pub Text
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 2011
  5. Dimensions
    6.25 x 1 x 9.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0313385939
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0313385933
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Anna Mieszkowska is an archivist at the Polish Academy of Science in Warsaw, Poland, and holds a master's degree in theatre studies from the University of Warsaw.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Praeger Pub Text; Translation edition (January 1, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0313385939
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0313385933
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.21 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 15 ratings

About the author

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Anna Mieszkowska

Anna Mieszkowska

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
15 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Ginger 3701
5.0 out of 5 stars Astounding!
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2019
Verified Purchase
In her own words. Irena Sendler did not trust reporters or the media. This led to huge amounts of misinformation about this amazing woman. Even here one does not get everything. She keeps confidences until the end. It is a rare glimpse into the heart and mind of an incredibly brave and courageous woman. This book along with Tilar J.Mazzeo's book opens the door to Irena Sendler's story, an amazing story but I believe Irena took her true story to the grave.
4 people found this helpful
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Suzy
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Lady and a Moving Story
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2011
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This is a must read book! Irena Sendler saved some 2500 children and adults from the Warsaw Ghetto under German occupation. Her story along with those with whom she worked is amazing. The children were hidden in various places and some moved several times during the course of the war. Mrs Sendler was arrested by the Gestapo and sentenced to death and was saved on the day the execution was to take place. The book not only tells the story of the war time but additionally tells about the lives of some of them as adults. Mrs. Sendler's story is one of courage, commitment. and extraordinary compassion. She stayed in touch with many of the people she helped save throughout her life. She was awarded "Righteous Among the Nations" and nominated for the Noble Peace Prize.
28 people found this helpful
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Stas' Ziolkowski
5.0 out of 5 stars A hero to children and the world!
Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2016
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Very informative and interesting! The writing style captures the moment in so many critical times when lives are in danger. The depth of feeling expressed in many chapters puts the reader in the situation in an uncomfortable way, I believe that is a sign of good writing!
2 people found this helpful
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Amy Good
1.0 out of 5 stars So DRY!
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2020
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I was really looking forward to this. I love what Irena Sendler did, but this book is SO dry and BORING in it's telling I couldn't even make it through. I'm really disappointed.
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msmartha
5.0 out of 5 stars Finally
Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2013
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It took years to find this book because the English translation was not available for some time. So glad to have it.
8 people found this helpful
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abellard
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2014
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Very good
One person found this helpful
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Daniel L. Berek
5.0 out of 5 stars Irena Sendler: A Hero of the Children and Their Mothers
Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2014
“I was taught by my father that when someone is drowning, you don’t ask if they can swim. You just jump in and help.” Irena Sendler was never anyone to brag—she always said that she simply did what she had to do. What she did, however, was nothing short of extraordinary. A young Catholic Polish social worker from Warsaw, she saved the lives of at least 2,000 Jewish children, smuggling them out of the Warsaw Ghetto, an unbearably overcrowded, unsanitary, and dangerous section of the city the Nazis sealed off during their World War II occupation. The reader also learns of events in Irena’s earlier life that led her to do what she did, as well as what she did after the war, a person unknown to most of the world.

This excellent translation is our best source on the life of Irena Sendler. The research is thorough and come alive through the many interviews the author conducted with Irena herself and the people who knew her. Most notable is that Ms. Mieszkowska lets Irena tell her own story in her own words. It provided much of the source material for the beautiful PBS documentary, Irena Sendler: In the Name of Their Mothers.

Of particular interest to young readers are Irena’s activities in secret, underground organizations, including Zegota. Code names, forged documents, smuggling, and underground escape routes highlight the dangers Irena and her colleagues. Most remarkable was the rescue of a six-month-old infant in a wooden carpenter’s box. That baby, Elzbieta Ficowska, would grow up to become one of Irena’s closest and most trusted friends. Her story is told here.

Persuading Jewish mothers to give up their young children was the most heart-rending part of Irena’s job. How she kept careful notes of each child and stored them in a jar is one of the highlights of Ms. Rubin’s book. And the author pays the ultimate homage to Irena by allowing her to state that she did not consider herself a hero—she did what she had to do. The real heroes, said Irena, were the mothers who gave up their babies, the Polish families who took them in, and the children themselves.

It was the request of Irena herself that her biography begin with the story of four high school girls from Uniontown, Kansas—half a world away and half a century from the terrifying experiences that defined her early life. That was Irena Sendler, a selfless person doing what she considered her moral duty.
9 people found this helpful
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Forhasta
5.0 out of 5 stars SAVED 2X AS MANY JEWS AS SCHINDLER: 3,000 CHILDREN.RISK OF DEATH FOR POLES, UNLIKE SCHINDLER - NO EPIC MOVIE FOR IRENE?!
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2008
Unlike Schindler, Mrs Sendler or Sendlerowa, a Polish-Catholic, was in real danger of her life, as were, fellow Poles who worked with her to save thousands of Jewish children. Schindler robbed and exploited the 1200 Jews he saved. The real ending in the movie was was edited from the book. In the book, Schindler takes every penny from his Jews and exploited them while they slaved for him. Mrs Sendler did it as a human being. She received not a penny and was beaten and parlyzed by the Germans; Germans broke both her legs. She never betrayed the Jewish children or ZEGOTA, her group that saved Jews. Where is Irenes epic movie; a true hero - unlike schindler. Schindler, just another German seizing opportunity at the expense of the down-trodden Jews.
50 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great true story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 13, 2015
Verified Purchase
I have enjoyed reading this book, and watched the film The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler, I enjoyed both book and Film. I would recommend this book.
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Worth a read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 16, 2018
Verified Purchase
Bought this as a gift. Very pleased with the item
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