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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.531809438
EAN num: 9780385720328
ISBN number: 0385720327
Label: Anchor
Manufacturer: Anchor
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 288
Printing Date: April 17, 2001
Publishing house: Anchor
Release Date: April 17, 2001
Sale Popularity Level: 78357
Studio: Anchor
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Product Description:
In My Hands began as one non-Jew’s challenge to any who would deny the Holocaust. Much like The Diary of Anne Frank, it has become a profound document of an individual’s heroism in the face of the greatest evil mankind has known.
In the fall of 1939 the Nazis invaded Irene Gut’s beloved Poland, ending her training as a nurse and thrusting the sixteen-year-old Catholic girl into a world of degradation that somehow gave her the strength to accomplish what amounted to miracles. Forced into the service of the German army, young Irene was able, due in part to her Aryan good looks, to use her position as a servant in an officers’ club to steal food and supplies (and even information overheard at the officers’ tables) for the Jews in the ghetto. She smuggled Jews out of the work camps, ultimately hiding a dozen people in the home of a Nazi major for whom she was housekeeper.
An important addition to the literature of human survival and heroism, In My Hands is further proof of why, in spite of everything, we must believe in the goodness of people.
Amazon.com Review:
When World War II began, Irene Gutowna was a 17-year-old Polish nursing student. Six years later, she writes in this inspiring memoir, 'I felt a million years old.' In the intervening time she was separated from her family, raped by Russian soldiers, and forced to work in a hotel serving German officers. Sickened by the suffering inflicted on the local Jews, Irene began leaving food under the walls of the ghetto. Soon she was scheming to protect the Jewish workers she supervised at the hotel, and then hiding them in the lavish villa where she served as housekeeper to a German major. When he discovered them in the house, Gutowna became his mistress to protect her friends--later escaping him to join the Polish partisans during the Germans' retreat. The author presents her extraordinary heroism as the inevitable result of small steps taken over time, but her readers will not agree as they consume this thrilling adventure story, which also happens to be a drama of moral choice and courage. Although adults will find Irene's tale moving, it is appropriately published as a young adult book. Her experiences while still in her teens remind adolescents everywhere that their actions count, that the power to make a difference is in their hands. --Wendy Smith
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Rated by buyers -
"In my hands" Irene Gut Opdyke narrates her tribulations during WWII. The saga of atrocities committed by the Nazis is intertwined with echoes not to be indifferent when another person's freedom is in jeopardy. Sharing her story with young life audiences, Irene is inculcating the same imperative: "You can make a difference; you have the power to fight against evil."
As a native of Poland, I find many familiar images in Irene's early surroundings. She comes from a little town close to the German border, so do I. I am inspired by Irene's
tolerance and warming heart, manifested from her early age on. She shunned rampant anti-Semitism and befriended none co-religionists. It my eyes, Irene is a shining example of righteousness. As a little Jewish boy, I was sometimes harassed by Catholic kids, because I was not one of them. The Russian and German invasions into Poland disrupted Irene's life. Despite her own predicament, Irene became very concerned about her Jewish friends' safety. She reached out to help and hide them from deportation to Nazis' killing centers. Many Poles assumed that they will be spared from persecution if they would cooperate with the Germans. Irene believed that once Hitler finished murdering the Jews he will do the same to the Poles. This was not a mere premonition but a keen observation. As it turned out, every Polish Jew was indeed a victim but not every victim was a Jew. Irene became a resistance fighter. For four years, her school years, did Irene risk her own life for the sake of saving innocent Jewish life!
I am a Holocaust survivor who had lost his entire immediate family and 123 members of his extended family. Being incarcerated for three years, my school years, in several forced labor camps, I realize how Irene's hidden Jews were spared from suffering and probable death. Irene did not let a woman in hiding to terminate her pregnancy, despite all possible ominous consequences. Reading about it, I had tears spilling over my cheeks. Irene cherished the sanctity of life. I am at awe; her sacrifice is a symbol of human kindness in a cruel environment. Irene's bravery and compassionate heart are extraordinary. It is indicative that conscientious people might be found in every group or nation. Negative stereotyping and prejudice are senseless!
"In my hands" is a well written narrative of compelling episodes that illustrate the compassion and integrity that the author had been imbued with. Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem recognized Irene's heroism. Her name is inscribed in the Alley of the "Righteous Among the Nations" Her gracious deeds and her literary work will be eternally etched in my memory.
Alter Wiener, Author "From A Name to A Number".
Rated by buyers -
First I listened to the book on audio. I liked it so much I got the book a year later andit it. Amazing story of survival. Hiding right in a Nazi officers home. WOW. What courage.
A must read for those who what to never forget.
Uplifting to what we can and will do for others when we have to.
Rated by buyers 
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Whereas the novel I mentioned in my title left me feeling cold (not to mention the author was a small child when she writes about her experiences, which must be grainy), this powerful account is simply written, but also written well. It's deliciously descriptive and emotional. I felt like I did walk in Irene's shoes, for I saw everything through her eyes (true, it was written in first-person point-of-view), instead of like watching a movie.
By the way, I think this would make a great film, though I am not sure if there is an actress beautiful enough to play Irene (who really should be played by a young, unknown girl, age appropriate, not a trashy pop starlet, who would degrade).
Through it all (being raped by two Russian soldiers and left for dead, becoming a German officer's mistress to protect her Jewish friends, etc.), Irene maintains an innocence that is refreshing, and when she loses her very first truelove before they have a chance to marry, it broke my heart.
I will say I have an even dimmer view of the Catholic Church than I did before (not Catholics in general, just some of the politics of the religion), because when Irene goes to a priest to confess being a German's lover to save the lives of her friends, he says, "They are Jews", and I could actually hear the inflection in his voice that said, "They're just Jews", like they weren't worth saving. This un-Christlike priest refuses to give her absolution, which, from a doctrinal standpoint I understand, but not from a spiritual standpoint. Yes, Irene was sinning, but she was not committing crimes against humanity, and I believe my God is a merciful and just God and that He understands for He can see Irene's soul.
This deeply religious, courageous woman has earned my respect and her chronicle is hardcover worthy.
Rated by buyers -
My 14-year-old daughter read this book and insisted that I read it. When I finally agreed, I could not put the book down. The story is so well told that you can can truly understand the experience of a 17-year-old girl in the midst of the horrible events. A compelling book that everyone should read and discuss.
Rated by buyers -
I often think of this woman in my day to day life. She serves as a testament to all mankind that we must put others very first and fight for the just cause. What she went through herself is quite harrowing. I am happy that she has been honored with a tree planted in her name at Yad Vashem in Israel. An easy read and a book that you cannot put down. She is truly inspirational.
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