Regina's Closet: Finding My Grandmother's Secret Journal
	Author: Diana M. Raab Published: 2007-09-30
	List price: $23.00 Our price: $17.25	Usually ships in 24 hours As of: January 06th, 2009 09:10:10 AM
Customer comments on this selection. A unique way to tell a true story The discovery of her grandmother's diary, three decades after her suicide, leads Diana Raole on a journey into her grandmother's past. The diary reveals many secrets about her grandmother's life, answering some questions Diana wished she could have asked her grandmother personally, but presenting more questions than answers. Diana seeks to fill in the blanks by interviewing family members and friends who knew her grandmother or had heard stories about her. The author interweaves excerpts from her grandmother's diary with facts gleaned from others and her own personal thoughts and observations in a unique presentation of historical significance and personal reflection. Diana finds the dairy at a time in her own life when she is in need of support and guidance for her life. Journeying back into her grandmother's past helps her find her way in the present. 5 stars. I feel lucky to be a shared recipient in the find of this journal. Reviewed by April Sullivan for Reader Views (9/08) "Regina's Closet" is the story of author Diana Raab's grandmother. Regina committed suicide when Diana was only 10-years-old. This sudden and devastating loss left Diana with many questions. Thirty years later she gets a chance to get a glimpse into her grandmother's life, and clues to her death through a journal found in her closet. Using a blend of journal entries, personal stories, and historical research, Raab weaves together a short, but straightforward story. We learn about the pain and devastation she went through as a child and young woman living through World War I and the Holocaust in Poland and Vienna. We read about her early career goals, her marriage, her family, and life in Paris and later the U.S. We relive Regina's story through Diana's own words and memories after she comes into the picture in the 1950s as the beloved granddaughter. Most striking about this book is not Regina's story, but Diana's story. She shows us how strong the genetic bonds are between family members. Regina had a strained relationship with her mother. She tried so hard not to repeat the same mistakes with her daughter Eva. Yet we see some of the same personality traits coming out in Eva in her relationship with her daughter Diana. I also found the career paths of the three women interestingly similar. Regina wanted to be a doctor and studied medicine for two years in Vienna. Eva and Diana both entered the medical field. Diana is most interested in understanding the reasons for her grandmother's depression and resulting suicide. As if by understanding it she can prevent the symptoms creeping up in herself. Whether it is mental illness or cancer, genetic predisposition is something that all of us can relate to, yet are scared to be related to. Regina's story is a compelling one. I feel lucky to be a shared recipient in the find of this journal. Finding the journal and writing this book seemed to be a cathartic process for the author. One that I think will yield more results that we, the readers, will enjoy in future books as we have with "Regina's Closet." I look forward to reading more from Diana M. Raab. The Key to the Closet All of us have locked closets where family secrets lay untouched and buried under long forgotten or never known memories of family structure. An event may happen that springs open the door spilling contents in the light of day. Some will be horrified and try to make desperate attempts to shovel it all back inside and lock the door forever. Diana Raab,a brave woman, had the courage to take contents from her grandmother's closet to explore each piece and look for a connection and a meaning of her own life. Regina's Closet is a moving story of human devastation where the horrors of war separate and destroy families and scatter them all over the world. While so many die, some are able to survive. Regina Klein, Diana's grandmother,was a survivor. Diana finds Regina's journal in a closet and because of it, she is able to begin to understand her grandmother's life and her own as well. Nothing prepares us in life to experience what Diana's grandmother, Regina,experienced as a young girl.but her secret journal gives us glimpses of times we hope will never come again. This book held my attention from the first page. Although at times, there were voids of space because either Regina had not recorded or pages were lost. Diana does a great job of moving us along in sprite of the time loss.Diana has a wonderful connection to her grandmother and through her brave explorations has brought meaning to Regina's life. This book is one to read because all of come from others whose lives remain in shadows. Finding and exploring the shadows help to shed light unto ourselves. Linda Branch, Ph.D. Open Your Heart & Let This One In Wow! What an incredible story. It's rare for me to "rave" or to liter my opinions with complimentary adjectives and yet, I have been exposed to a book that absolutely demands both...Regina's Closet: finding my grandmother's secret journal is hauntingly beautiful and filled with the kind of raw emotion that reaches out from the pages and touches the reader in a very tangible way. Author, Diana Raab shares her grandmother's journal, which follows her difficult and frightening experiences in war torn Poland, events of World War I, witnessing the atrocities committed by soldiers, losing all the possessions, the Nazi invasion, the cramped trains evacuees spent weeks riding only to arrive in cities where the natives did not want them and had no reservations about expressing such in the most hurtful of ways. Even as a child, Regina was not sparred this degrading hostility. Over and over again she is forced to make adult decisions and each time her incredible strength and unusual ability to understand the ways of the world shines through the darkness that surrounded her. The family eventually immigrated to the United States and settled in Brooklyn, New York, where things remained tense between her grandparents, but Diana wouldn't realize until years later, while reading the journal the extent of her grandmother's marital unhappiness. Meticulously and masterfully, Diana has woven her feelings, fears and experiences throughout this extraordinary narrative and the result is this once-in-a-lifetime novel. Diana found strength and grace in those handwritten, time worn and yellowing pages. She began to see her grandmother in a new light, as she read about the horrific things she had witnessed and the hardships she had endured as a child, she couldn't help but wonder if these things had played a part in her grandmother's decision to take her own life. Growing up, Diana was always closer to her grandmother...she spent a great deal of time with Regina and had fond memories of things her grandmother shared with her. At ten years old, Diana was home alone with her grandmother when Regina took an overdose of sleeping medication. Years later, Diana would have an exceptional opportunity to reconnect with her grandmother, through the secret journal. Regina (grandmother) was a true hero..wise beyond her years, with a quiet strength that crossed the generations via the words of her journal and influenced her darling grand-daughter, giving her courage and providing solace and sanctuary. She could not have known that years after penning the diary and many years after her death, her reflections would reach millions of readers. I applaud Diana Raab for recognizing the significance and beauty of her grandmother's words and for taking the initiative to share this intimate journey with us. The author has definitely inherited her grandmother's way with words and allowed her heart to flow freely within the pen strokes that created this literary masterpiece. I recommend "Regina's Closet: finding my grandmother's secret journal" to all readers, everywhere...don't miss this heart warming, inspiring and life-affirming book-- this is one you will want to share with everyone! A Vivid Journal There are many words that can be used to describe this book: beautiful, sad, sweet, wonderful...but all will pale in comparison once you sit down and read Regina's vivid journal. The Author, Diana Raab's, grandmother was her caretaker until she was ten years old. They had the most amazing relationship, making it all the more horrible when you find out at the beginning of this book that Regina took her own life when Diana was just a little girl. Young Diana had been left with so many questions that plagued her own life as she grew into adulthood that she truly couldn't believe her good fortune when her mother passed along her beloved grandmother's journal. The author was going through her own horrifying illness as she opened the pages and sought solace and warmth - as well as a way to reconnect - with her grandmother. As the story unfolds, we learn of Regina's amazing strength, dealing with a mother who treated her coldly, at best, and a father who made choices after it was already too late. We are told of the real life events as World War I started spreading through Regina's small hometown of Kalush. We see the anger on the streets and the blood flow as Regina's family, friends and neighbors watched their world disappear. We go through illness, war, pain, and travel into Vienna, as Regina tries to save her own life and the life of her sister. As we continue, the German soldiers begin knocking on the door as the atrocities of World War II come into being. But, I must say, even though the historical pictures and tales are amazing to read about, the true color, flavor, and heart comes from Regina, herself. This author's grandmother was a true heroine when they were in incredibly short supply. She pulled her way through nightmarish times with her strength and her smarts. I found this woman beyond incredible, and I am so sorry that her ending came in sadness. I applaud the author and thank her for letting the world see what a truly wonderful woman her grandmother was. I also long for everyone to leave journals behind for their children and grandchildren. Think of all the wisdom...all the incredible stories that have been lost over time. I would savor every moment that I could get with my grandparents and I would have loved for them to leave their stories behind so that I could understand the power of their time on this Earth.
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