{"id":401,"date":"2025-11-13T21:08:55","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T21:08:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readjeannie.com\/?page_id=401"},"modified":"2026-01-22T17:38:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T17:38:00","slug":"about-the-books","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/readjeannie.com\/index.php\/about-the-books\/","title":{"rendered":"About The Books"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Books<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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In My Hands:
Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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By Irene Gut Opdyke with Jennifer Armstrong<\/em><\/p>

At seventeen, she chose action over apathy. Twelve lives depended on it.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

Irene\u2019s story was told on Broadway in 2008 and was made into a major motion picture in 2024: Irena\u2019s Vow.<\/p>

When war tears through Poland, student nurse Irene Gut is thrust into a world where every choice has a cost. Assigned to work in a German officers\u2019 dining hall, she hears whispers of raids and routes\u2014intel that could mean life or death. Step by step, Irene moves from smuggling scraps of food to sheltering human beings, transforming an ordinary young woman into an extraordinary rescuer. Told with the urgency of a thriller and the intimacy of a diary, In My Hands<\/strong> reveals how conviction is forged and courage becomes contagious\u2014often in hidden rooms and split-second decisions. It\u2019s a story that refuses to look away\u2014and refuses to let you.<\/p>

\u201cNo matter how many Holocaust stories one has read, this one is a must, for its impact is so powerful.<\/em>\u201d \u2014 School Library Journal<\/em> (starred)<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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A publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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An ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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A PEN USA West Award Finalist<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Irene\u2019s Daughter<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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By Jeannie Opdyke Smith<\/em><\/p>

What does it mean to inherit a story of courage\u2014and live it out in ordinary life?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

The world knows the rescuer. Few know what came after. In Irene\u2019s Daughter<\/strong>, Jeannie Opdyke Smith invites readers behind the curtain of a legendary story\u2014into family rooms and green rooms, classrooms and quiet hospital corridors\u2014where legacy is less about headlines and more about daily choices.<\/p>

With warmth, wit, and unflinching honesty, Jeannie explores the weight and gift of being raised by a woman who hid twelve Jews during the Holocaust, and what it looks like to carry that light into today\u2019s fractured world. This is not just a memoir about the past; it\u2019s a field guide for ordinary bravery, forgiveness that costs something, and hope that refuses to quit.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The Other Side of Thirst<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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You can\u2019t rewrite your past. You can change your ending. Fiercely honest and deeply hopeful, The Other Side of Thirst is a modern redemption story about moving from survival to wholeness. Jenny has spent years chasing love that never loved her back\u2014collecting disappointments much like the Samaritan woman collected empty jars. What begins in youthful hope unravels into choices that leave her isolated, ashamed, and thirsty for something she can\u2019t name. Honest, tender, and deeply redemptive, The Other Side of Thirst traces the surprising intersections between a modern woman and one who lived twenty-one centuries before her. It\u2019s a story of being seen, told the truth, and offered water that finally satisfies. For anyone tired of surviving on empty, this is an invitation to come and drink.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Books In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer By Irene Gut Opdyke with Jennifer Armstrong At seventeen, she chose action over apathy. Twelve lives depended on it. Irene\u2019s story was told on Broadway in 2008 and was made into a major motion picture in 2024: Irena\u2019s Vow. When war tears through Poland, student nurse […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-401","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nAbout The Books - Jeannie<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/readjeannie.com\/index.php\/about-the-books\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"About The Books - Jeannie\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Books In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer By Irene Gut Opdyke with Jennifer Armstrong At seventeen, she chose action over apathy. Twelve lives depended on it. Irene\u2019s story was told on Broadway in 2008 and was made into a major motion picture in 2024: Irena\u2019s Vow. 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