The Rest You Know: A Mother's Story of Survival [Spiral-bound]

Irene W. Russ (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0970185391 | ISBN-13: 978-0970185396 | Publication Date: December 19, 2001

In the spring of 1998, 41-year-old Daniel Russ received a package in the mail from his mom. Inside was a dark vinyl three-ring notebook holding his mother's handwritten account of the most terrible events of her life: the 14 months she spent in three Nazi concentration camps. It was the first time he had ever heard her talk about this part of her life.

This short story is real. It can be read in one sitting, yet its images will take years to forget. Irene's story of survival is a gift of love to her children and to the world - a tribute to the many in her generation who kept their eyes fixed on life while its very breath was being stripped away. Her candid words remind us that the most valuable things we pass down to our children are not the souvenirs of life but the lessons of courage and faith lived out in it.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Irene W. Russ was born in 1924. This is her first book. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

From her son, Daniel: "All these years, we knew Momma held some deep hurt deep inside of her. We knew her history. But outside, she never wavered. She was always the most loving, fun, sweet, nurturing, homemaking, overprotective kind of Jewish mom you could ever imagine. She looks a little like Dr. Ruth, but with actor Ruth Gordon's wit.

"We had all long since moved away, scattered from Las Vegas to Jerusalem, from Texas to Georgia, when one day we all received this package from Mom. A notebook with high -school lined paper. And in her neat handwriting and measured voice, she told us what happened.

"Finally she has dealt with it. It is done. Right here. In her own beautiful words."

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 96 pages
• Publisher: G S D & M Idea Univ Pr (December 19, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970185391
• ISBN-13: 978-0970185396
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,287,942 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Personal survivor's account, March 11, 2005

By 

geistweg (VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rest You Know: A Mother's Story of Survival (Spiral-bound)

There are no doubt several hundred (or more) survivor accounts of the Holocaust currently in print. Regardless of which one you pick, each of them has a unique tale to share, as well as a new perspective on the chaos and terror that cost 6 million Jews their lives.

"The Rest You Know" was originally written in a composition book, by Irene Russ, for her children. She hoped to pass along the small details of her survival and how she made it through this tragic time in Europe's history. Even as non-members of her family, all of us can find something inspiring from Irene's story.

Her family was originally confined to a ghetto in Nagyvarad, until they were shipped to Auschwitz. She lost track of most of her family there, and wound up being shipped to work in the arms factory at Allendorf.

Irene's sincere tone, and the way she's always candid about her situation -- even when she thought she was having it better than others -- is both enlightening and inspiring. While the book is short (a mere 80 pages), and illustrates only a digest version of what she must have experienced on a day-to-day basis, you can't help but step away from this book with a slightly clearer perspective on the Holocaust.

There may be several hundred survivor books on the market, but each one has its own unique story. This, as many others, is worth the read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Force and grace in 52 handwritten pages, June 2, 2002

By 

Lausten Austin (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rest You Know: A Mother's Story of Survival (Spiral-bound)

Comparisons fail me in this genre of writing, because each offering is so intense. Many of us have read longer, professionally edited accounts of the Holocaust or seen television documentaries on it. But I think that none surpass this one in its intensity and focus. My only regret is that this remarkable woman hasn't produced more work for us to share in; if she'd wanted to make a career as a writer, I'm sure she would have been quite successful. (It's no wonder her children were all so gifted--what a set of genes to inherit!) A quick read, one you'll remember forever.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly One of a Kind!, January 21, 2002

By 

Catherine Parker (Lewisville, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rest You Know: A Mother's Story of Survival (Spiral-bound)

I've seen movies and read books about Nazi concentration camps but none so personal as this Mother's story of survival. Torn from her parents, siblings and friends, this amazing young woman lived through years of evil treatment which are almost inconceivable. The fact that these atrocities occurred less than 60 years ago still stuns me.
I read the book in one sitting, feeling an anger I did not know I could feel. I finished the book with a new understanding of the extent of human predjudice, the strength of the human spirit and the ability of one woman to survive and go on living!
Read "The Rest You Know" and you will understand.