Life in a Jar

Every once in a while, I go through a stage where I just can't get into a book.  I have stacks and stacks and stacks (and stacks, and...) of books, so I'll pick one up, read a page (sentence?) and know that nope, that's not going to do it.

Then I revert to my list of books I want to read, dig one of those out and no, none of them will work either.

That's when being in a book club comes in handy.  Those books I HAVE to read (many times I wish I didn't, but that's another story).

Recently, I was in one of those stages, but a friend lent me a book, and I'm one of those people who feels obligated to read a book that someone loans me.

I am so glad I did.

The book Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project is the story of a woman named Irena Sendler, a Catholic woman living in Poland during WW2.

We've all heard of Oskar Schindler (Schindler's List), who is credited with saving 1,200 Jews during the war.

Irena Sendler saved over 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto, but most people had never heard of her (including me) until a group of teenage girls in Kansas came across her story and brought it to light.

The book is incredibly well written and captures both the best and the worst of humanity.  It's easy to read, but also really, really hard to read.

The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945, the story of Wladyslaw Szpilman that was made into the movie The Pianist (Single-Sided Version) was also set in the Warsaw Ghetto during the war.  If you haven't seen the movie, DO!

And, read Life in a Jar.  You'll be glad you did.