Irena's Children: The Extraordinary Story of the Woman Who Saved 2,500 Children from the Warsaw Ghetto Paperback – June 6, 2017 by Tilar J. Mazzeo (Gallery Books)

Often referred to as the female Schindler, Irena Sendler was credited with saving 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw ghetto. As a social worker, she was in a unique position to have access to the walled city within the city and the deprivation and inhumanity within. She saved orphans and children whose families were doomed, often convincing parents to send their children away. These kids were offered new identities with forged paperwork, and taught to live as Christians to ensure their safety. Though the Nazi’s never determined how imperative she was to the Polish resistance, they knew Irena was a collaborator and her capture and merciless torture was inevitable. The fact that she survived and escaped was miraculous, and that didn’t deter her from continuing her selfless endeavors. She risked her own life daily and the vast network of people who assisted her were heroes in their own right.

This book illustrates that being a Pole in Warsaw during German occupation was the worst situation to be in, but being a Polish Jew was an even more horrific prospect. Irena witnessed thousands of people transported to Treblinka, the liquidation of the ghetto, and the destruction of her city. One of the saddest scenes was Irena helplessly witnessing the liquidation of an orphanage and the stoic bravery of the children and the doctor in charge who voluntarily accompanied them. In Irena’s own words, “…that tragic precession of innocent children marching to their own deaths.” But because of her, thousands of children were saved and future generations exist because of her organization, defiance, and bravery.