Not All Was Lost

A Young Woman's Memoir 1939- 1946

IRENE BESSETTE

 

 

Many books and other literature have been written about the inhumanity and unspeakable events under the Nazi regime. But not enough has been said about the endurance of the ordinary people during those tragic years of 1939-1946.

How did people react? Did they ever smile? Did they fall in love? Could they work? Study? How did they endure each day with death so close, so real? And, finally, how did they tolerate the harsh and unsettled conditions right after the war?

In her memoir, author Irene Bessette tries to answer these questions and more as one of the millions who was caught in hellish circumstances and struggled to survive while trying to give some sense and dignity to their lives.

Not All Was Lost: A Young Woman’s Memoir 1939-1946 offers the historical and psychological background for the deeper understanding of God’s presence and human responsibility during the Nazi regime. It is the author’s testimony to the struggle to survive war and alienation from one's own nation without losing self-esteem, faith in humankind, and hope.