Regina's Closet: Finding My Grandmother's Secret Journal

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.

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 "Re

Regina's Closet is a rare glimpse into the private world of a young Jewish girl who lived through the nightmare of life in Eastern Europe in the years prior to World War II. Regina overcame so much in her lifetime, only to succomb in the end to the inevitable effects of rejection and persecution. Rarely do we get to hear such a story in the first person. The sadness I felt for Regina, combined with the envy I felt for Diana Raab at having the gift of obtaining Regina's own diary, makes for a wonderful read of this important story.

Regina's Closet is a most compelling, educational, and truly awe-inspiring book. Diana Raab tells the story of how finding her beloved grandmother's diary which was replete with stories of hardship, survival, and the overcoming of adversity while growing up in eastern Europe during World War I and the beginning of World War II. The journal written by Diana's grandmother whose name was Regina subsequently elicited inspiriation for Diana to overcome her own life's challenges. Diana begins the story of Regina's untimely demise taking place when Diana was ten, and then detailed account's in Regina's diary dealing with pogroms in Poland to Nazi persecution in Vienna, and then subsequently emigrating to America and starting a new life in New York City. Regina for the first time in her life was free from political and religious oppression, but the unpleasant memories of the past haunted her for the rest of her life. Diana has us share in her gratification and closure after finding the diary, a key to formerly locked doors of unanswered questions about Regina's life-long struggle of trying to let go of her hard life as a child, teen, and young woman. This book is a must read for all, it teaches us lessons in perseverance and never giving up when the outlook appears bleak, and all odds are against us.

To a whole new generation of young adults in America, World War II is very ancient history and something that they do not perceive as having any relevance to their lives and interests. If for that reason alone, "Regina's Closet" by essayist, memorist and poet Diana M. Raab deserves as large a readership as possible. The source for "Regina's Closet" is a journal kept by Diana's grandmother, plus her own memories and their very special connection as family. It wasn't until the journal fell into Diana's hands that she learned of her grandmother's past, starting with World War I in Poland, to the tragic death of Regina's mother, to her trials and tribulations as an orphan, and her eventual immigration to Vienna and then on to the United States. The entries from Regina's journal are in italic with Diana providing an illuminating commentary. The result is a compelling narrative account of a most remarkable woman who lived through some very harrowing and difficult times. A fascinating read from beginning to end, "Regina's Closet" is a welcome and very highly recommended addition to community library 20th Century Biography collections.