Jars of Hope, by Jennifer Roy

I don't think I'll ever get tired of reading true stories of heroism during WW2, especially concerning resistance to the Nazi menace.  Jennifer Roy's Jars of Hope: How One Woman Helped Save 2,500 Children from the Holocaust adds a new title to inspire us.  Irena Sendler's father passed along a legacy to her.  He taught her that people's race, religion, or wealth don't matter, but whether they are good or bad.  He taught her, "When someone is drowning, give him your hand."

Irena became a social worker, and when she say the Nazis force the Jews into the ghetto, she smuggled medicine and food in to the needy Jews.  Soon she began smuggling babies and children out, hoping to save them from death in the concentration camps.  When parents asked for guarantees that their children would survive if they sent them with Irena, she replied, "I can only guarantee that if your child stays here, he will die."

Irena kept careful lists of the children, in hopes of reunited them with their parents.  She put the lists in jars, which she buried until after the war.  She was arrested, and lived for a time as a fugitive from the Nazi occupiers.

Meg Owenson's illustrations beautifully capture the dreary bleakness of occupied Poland, while spotlighting the hope that Irena brought to these children.  Irena is truly a hero who deserves to be remembered.  The strength and character she displayed inspire me not to ignore injustice and to risk my own comfort to meet the needs of others.



Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!