life in a jar…
Photo source: Google images
The last time my Book Club got together we discussed the book, Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project. Another gal hosted our group for a lively lunch and discussion.
HER TABLESCAPE
Irena Sendler hid her list of names of the 2,500 children she saved by putting each of their names in a jar and burying the jar outside under an apple tree. Sendler dug up the jar and reburied it at nighttime with the addition of each new name.
Our hostess cleverly displayed several jars and various glass containers – to symbolize the jar in the book.
She set a pretty cobalt blue and white table…
Each place setting included a copy of this poem, The Butterfly, written by Pavel Friedman. As you can see, Friedman sadly died while in a German concentration camp.
LUNCH IS SERVED
Our first course was this stunning strawberry/asparagus salad. It was almost too pretty to eat.
It also had bacon bits in it…
with a strawberry vinaigrette dressing on it.
How sweet is this domed butter dish??
Second course: an always tasty chicken salad…
…and to satisfy our sweet tooth – a rich and dense flourless chocolate cake!
OTHER DETAILS
Just had to share the two beautiful antique pieces she has in her home…
THE BOOK
Brief Overview of the Book
Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project by Jack Mayer is a powerful story of the Holocaust and more. First, it is the story of the extraordinary Irena Sendler, the great rescuer of Warsaw. It is also the inspirational story of students from Kansas, each carrying their own painful burden, each called in their own complex way to the history of a Catholic woman who knocked on Jewish doors in the Warsaw ghetto and, in Sendler’s own words, “tried to talk the mothers out of their children.” Inspired by Irena Sendler, they are living examples of the power of one person to change the world and models for young people everywhere.” (Source: www.irenasendler.org )
The three Kansas (all female) students called the most valuable lesson they learned from their project, “the power of one” – that one person truly can make a difference. This was Irena Sendler’s message to the world, and this message was quite evident throughout the book.
Megan Stewart (one of the three founders of the project) as Irena Sendler in one of their performances
Photo source: irenasendler.org
Our Book Club Review
A remarkable read!
My Book Club had a very good discussion about the book. We found the book not only to be an amazing story, but also an inspiring and moving one. It also reminded all of us never to forget the horrors that went on during World War II.
ANOTHER RECOMMENDED READ
A fairly new author to the writing scene is Adam Mitzner. If you’re a fan of John Grisham or Joseph Finder books, then you’ll probably like Mitzner’s books as well. Loosing Faith is Mitzner’s third novel. His books are quick, fast-paced reads – all mysteries with an attorney as the main character.
“Yad Vashem”
Hebrew for ‘memory of a name”
The two rules from her parents that Irena Sendler lived her life by:
“Remember that the people can be divided only into good and bad; it doesn’t matter what religion, what race, and what nation the person is descended.”
“When somebody is drowning, this person needs to be rescued.”
Irena Sendler in a nurses uniform in World War II
Photo source: irenasendler.org
Irena Sendler – certainly lived as “the power of one”…
Inspirational Details 
Irena Sendler is a truly a remarkable woman. Her life defines a heroine of the modern era and her inspirational story deserves to be repeated as often as possible.
Not everyone knows that Irena Sendler’s legacy is connected to four ninth graders in Kansas, USA, who captured her courage and her compassion in a staged presentation called “Life in a Jar.” Their project quickly spilled over into their community and ultimately attracted global attention.
Many details about Irena Sendler, A Heroine of the Holocaust, can be found at http://quilligrapher.hubpages.com/hub/Sendler. It connects the lives of this brave social worker in Poland and four dedicated students in Kansas who brought her amazing story to life.
Inspirationaldetails.com should be commended for spreading the inspirational memory of this marvelous woman.kai
Thank you for your comment, and I totally agree Irena Sendler was a true heroine and her story should be spread. I wish we knew about the website you recommended
before we discussed the book. It contains a lot of great information about her and the project (including the video). Thank you for sharing it!
You are very welcome.
K.
Where are the questions to ask my book club members about Life in a Jar?
Hi James,
My book club had a great discussion about the book using our own general questions for each other. However, you can find some questions you could possibly use on a website called leeandlow.com. The questions relate to a similar book called, “Irena’s Jar of Secrets”.
Happy Reading!