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Patrick Woodhouse

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Etty Hillesum: A Life Transformed Kindle Edition

by Patrick Woodhouse (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.6 306 ratings

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On 8 March 1941, a 27-year-old Jewish Dutch student living in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam made the first entry in a diary that was to become one of the most remarkable documents to emerge from the Nazi Holocaust. Over the course of the next two and a half years, an insecure, chaotic and troubled young woman was transformed into someone who inspired those with whom she shared the suffering of the transit camp at Westerbork and with whom she eventually perished at Auschwitz. Through her diary and letters, she continues to inspire those whose lives she has touched since. She was an extraordinarily alive and vivid young woman who shaped and lived a spirituality of hope in the darkest period of the twentieth century. This book explores Etty Hillesum's life and writings, seeking to understand what it was about her that was so remarkable, how her journey developed, how her spirituality was shaped, and what her profound reflections on the roots of violence and the nature of evil can teach us today.

Length

206
Pages
Language

EN
English
Kindle feature

Sticky notes
On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Bloomsbury Continuum
Publication date

2013
January 17
File size

5.4 MB
Kindle feature

Page Flip
Enabled
Kindle feature

Word Wise
Enabled
Kindle feature

Enhanced typesetting
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Carol Lee Flinders
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“[Hillesum's] inspirational reflections on the roots of violence and the nature of evil have as much relevance now as they did in the 1940s.” ―The Bookseller, February 2009

“[A] superb and moving account of her life and writings, touching on Hillesum's profound reflections on violence and the nature of evil.” ―Catholic Herald, April 2009

“Complicated, intelligent, passionate and disarming by turns, Etty Hillesum is interpreted here as a woman for our time. The forward to the book, written by the Archbishop of Canterbury, argues that by examining the life of Etty Hillesum, the reader is able to understand how a theology of hope and of the redemptive meaning of suffering can emerge, even from the darkest of contexts.” ―Lavinia Byrne, Cheddar Valley Gazette, March 2009

“This is a very precious book that left me feeling very grateful for the life of Etty Hillesum. Patrick Woodhouse has written about her with a clarity and unobtrusive simplicity that is wholly appropriate.” ―One in Christ, Jonathan Gorsky

“Etty was pyschologically complex to say the least, and her story presents us with a disturbing and challenging spirituality for a world wracked with hatred.” ―The Tablet

“A touching and wonderful book.” ―The Good Book Stall

“For anyone involved in pastoral care, there are rich and thought-provoking resources here and Woodhouse is an excellent guide. ... Inspiring and deceptively simple book.” ―The Pastoral Review

“This book is at home in a silent sanctuary and in a noisy prison – in any place, at any time. Read it. Let it do what it will ... In this memoir of Etty, Patrick Woodhouse has done far more than condense her story into 153 pages. He has immersed himself in her life so deeply and so passionately that Etty seems to be speaking through him” ―Church Times

--This text refers to the paperback edition.

About the Author

Patrick Woodhouse is Canon Precentor of Wells Cathedral where he has responsibility for music and liturgy. He has been a parish priest, a diocesan social responsibility adviser, and has a particular interest in inter-faith issues.He is the author of Beyond Words, an introduction, guide and resource for a contemplative way of prayer, and With You is the Well of Life, a collection of prayers for public and private use (both published by Kevin Mayhew). --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00ARH7K4K
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bloomsbury Continuum; 1st edition (January 17, 2013)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 17, 2013
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 5490 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 206 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #280,102 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #183 in Christian Faith (Kindle Store)
- #333 in Jewish History (Kindle Store)
- #536 in Religious Faith

Customer Reviews:
4.6 306 ratings

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4.6 out of 5

306 global ratings

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Mark Demers

Inspiration and Challenge from the trenches

Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2023

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This book wants to be read in a silent corner, just you and no one else around. But it must be read aloud in a community of seekers, friends, adversaries as well. Hillesum's words are enough; Woodhouse masterfully amplifies them and only rarely gets in their way.
I am humbled, saddened, deeply troubled, inspired, profoundly challenged. Would that everyone read this book! We would work harder, complain less, and love each other better. Please read it - and share it with others.

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Cliff

Profound and beautiful book

Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2022

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To find out about a Jewish female mystic who surrendered her heart to God and face the Nazi horror without hatred, and to choose to put herself into such danger because she wanted to care for her people..... well, I'm deeply touched and Inspired to live a more caring life towards others.

One person found this helpful

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Julie Balamut

a good introduction for those new to Etty Hillesum's work

Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2009

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The selection of Etty Hillesum's journal, "Interrupted Life," is an adopted text for many undergraduate literature and religion courses. Those new to Hillesum have difficulty getting past her sexual proclivities and her somewhat bizarre behavior in regard to her mentor, Spier. Unfortunately, this prevents many from really finding the beauty and brilliance of this remarkable woman and her transformation from a confused girl to a deeply spiritual, compassionate woman. This book is an excellent bridge that allows the new reader to move on from Etty's early chaotic life to her profoundly moving transformation. Written in clear easy-to-follow prose, Woodhouse's book gives us the background to her life and the conditions in which she lived. He offers excellent examples of her best writing and takes us step-by-step through her spiritual transformation in a respectful and lovely way. Even though I have studied Etty Hillesum's work extensively and have read other academic books and articles about her work, I really enjoyed the way Woodhouse enhanced her experience and our experience with Etty with such careful detail. For those who teach Etty's work, I would suggest Woodhouse's book as good background to what life was like in pre-Nazi Amsterdam where this remarkable woman wrote one of the best journals of spiritual transformation ever.

40 people found this helpful

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Patrick Denevan, Oaxaca, Mexico

Betty is a woman for out time now

Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2021

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I enjoyed getting to know her through this book but would have liked more of her words. However, I now have the context to read her dairies directly.

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Llpp

Wonderful and deeply moving book

Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2019

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Very moving, inspirational book. It focuses more on the state of mind of the Etty Hillesum, and how she transcended the atrocities of the Holocaust. She maintained focus on love, on God, and on giving in service to the people around her. She never gave in to hatred. Even though she was Jewish and going through the same horrors that all of her people were, she was a comfort to them and never got lost in feeling like a victim, or in demonizing the enemy. I don't know how that was possible, but she shows us that it was. The writer does a very good job of analyzing her diaries and letter writing, and painting a picture of her material and spiritual reality of her short life. Highly recommend this wonderful book.

7 people found this helpful

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Susan Fries

A Remarkable Woman of Endless Love

Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2021

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I have not been so moved as in reading about Etty Hillesum. I would have loved to shake her hand, hug her, and give her in return what she gave to so many others. The essence of empathy and God's love in this brave, determined young Jewish woman standing up to the sunami and hate of Hitlerism.

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Marie G.

Required Reading for a College Course

Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2022

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I probably wouldn’t have picked this book to read had it not been for my course ONLY because I had never heard of Etty Hillesum before. I’m really grateful to have the opportunity to read an AMAZING true story of a hero. I highly recommend it if mystics, saints, the holocaust interest you.

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Lynn Mark

A transformative book

Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2022

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The writing of this young woman reveals how the best attributes of being human can shine through the ugliest of times. It is a beautiful book.

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M. J. Robinson

A truly integrated person - inspirational!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 30, 2010

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Patrick Woodhouse has brought to life a young woman who truly integrated her ego self with her higher self and thus found the depth and breadth of the kingdom of God within. Through the guidance of her Jungian mentor and through her own incredible self-discipline she acquired self acceptance of her chaotic personality and eventually self-mastery even in the midst of the greatest of evils and the brutality of a totalitarian world.

Etty truly explored the question 'Who am I?'outside the boundaries of any religious institution and as a result of her persistence she attained a strong ecumenical faith in God. The key elements of her faith journey are silence, solitude, mindfulness, the use of images (Jungian), reading the scriptures (the Psalms) and poetry (Rilke)and prayer. For Etty the key was 'LEARNING TO LISTEN' developing a deep intuitive awareness of the interconnectness of all things and helped her 'in learning to live artistically' (her phrase). There are moments of great poignancy in this book as Patrick Woodhouse shows us glimpses of this woman's tremendous awareness of God within ('my life has become an uninterrupted dialogue with You, oh God ..') and without (her love of flowers - reminding me of Teresa of Lisieux). The result of this self-mastery and knowledge of God was a tremendous compassion for those suffering around her and she became a tower of strength and light to many.

The author reflects in the chapter 'A Woman of Our Time': '...this question of God is no longer the point at which the contemporary spiritual quest begins. What drives that is the question - the bewildering, even mysterious question -of the self. Who am I, in the uniqueness of my feelings, relationships, reactions and sense of belonging or not belonging...'. A paradigm shift that speaks to our contemporary society.

This beautiful story should be on the reading list of anyone on a faith journey, practising yoga or meditation or who is looking for a way into peace in our troubled times. One book I will be dipping back into and indeed buying as a gift over and over again - it needs more exposure! Thank you Patrick Woodhouse for making her story so accessible.

25 people found this helpful

Yarrow

Wonderful introduction to the Life of Etty Hillesum

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 4, 2014

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I downloaded this book after a recommendation by Richard Rohr. The excepts from the diary of this young Jewish woman in Holland, who found her Divine Self through an unthinkable, challenging time, during the years 1941 to 1943, compelled me to order the diaries also. I found both these books inspiring, weeping, and overwhelmed by Etty's love of seeing the true self, the good in everything, yet acknowledging the dark and Light. Accepting the 'now'. living in the moment. Connecting with her own inner being. When I read the diaries I returned to Patrick Woodhouse's book, a Life transformed. What a joy to reread this clear and beautiful book about this remarkable life. Knowing the characters in the book now made it all the more enjoyable to read again. I don't believe i have ever wanted to be so absorbed. I see my own life differently now. When all the privileges of the Dutch Jews were taken away…transport , nature, shops, etc Etta saw beauty in the sky. To me, her example was more spiritual and uplifting than any religious teaching. She showed how man may connect internally with God. And how we may be enabled to do it alone.

16 people found this helpful

Malcolm U

Profoundly moving and offering a vision of life that makes God believable.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 29, 2014

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Rowan Williams in one of his books makes the observation that some people take responsibility for making God credible in the world. Etty Hillesum is one of those unique souls who does just that for me. The great advantage of Patrick Woodhouse's biography are the sensitive and profound selections he makes from Etty Hillesum's Diaries. There is no doubt but Etty Hillesum is one of the most illuminating and remarkable believers of the 20th century. She was a young Jewish woman in her twenties when the Nazi's occupied Holland. She wasn't a conventional believer such as one might meet in a church or synagogue. Her diaries written between 1941 to 1943 during this dreadful period in the history of Holland and its people show how she became more and more aware of God's influence on her life. Unlike the majority of thinking people who might have been drawn towards atheism, Etty discovered God. She died at Auschwitz in the gas chambers in November 1943. She was only 29. Her life was one of concern and love for her fellow humans and this included those who committed the terrible crimes against her people.

10 people found this helpful

Suzanne Brett

Good read.

Reviewed in Canada on September 21, 2018

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This book was very interesting and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the Holocaust and the journey of a young woman who took notes and wrote a diary during these dark days.

Amazon Customer

HIghly recommended

Reviewed in Canada on May 21, 2020

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This book provides useful context on Etty HIllesum's life and makes it easier to navigate her letters.

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