SKU: 73392780074

Irena's Gift: An epic World War II memoir of sisters, secrets and survival - Karen Kirsten

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Description

Irena's Gift: An epic World War II memoir of sisters, secrets and survival - Karen KirstenIf we seal off the past, how will we ever know the truth? In 1942, in Nazi occupied Poland, a Jewish child was smuggled out of the Warsaw ghetto in a backpack. That child was Karen Kirsten's mother, but she knew nothing about this extraordinary event until one day a letter arrived from a stranger. After Karen eventually discovered the grandparents she loved dearly were in fact not her biological grandparents, she travelled the globe to uncover her

If we seal off the past, how will we ever know the truth?

In 1942, in Nazi-occupied Poland, a Jewish child was smuggled out of the Warsaw ghetto in a backpack. That child was Karen Kirsten's mother, but she knew nothing about this extraordinary event until one day a letter arrived from a stranger.

After Karen eventually discovered the grandparents she loved dearly were in fact not her biological grandparents, she travelled the globe to uncover her family's past and to find the answers to baffling questions- why did her adoptive grandmother treat Karen's mother so unkindly? Why did she hide the truth that she was her mother's aunt? And why, if she appeared to dislike Karen's mother, did she risk her life to save her and bring her to Australia?

Irena's Gift weaves together a mystery, history and memoir to tell the story of a family torn apart by war. From the glittering concert halls of interbellum Warsaw to the vermin-infested prison where a Jewish woman negotiates with an SS officer to save her sister's child, Irena's Gift is about the lies we tell to survive and what happens when those lies unravel. It is about the extraordinary resilience of three generations of women, and the sacrifices made for love.

About the Author

A former internet executive, Karen Kirsten is an Australian-American writer, genocide educator and refugee advocate. Raised in Australia by a Holocaust survivor mother and grandparents who silenced her questions about extermination camps, Karen now lectures around the world on hatred and reconciliation. Karen has lived in five countries across three continents and now calls Massachusetts, USA home.

Penguin Australia Pty Ltd 2023, paperback 

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SKU: 73392780074

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Lea
Massapequa, US
★★★★★ 5
Perfect for aggressive chewers
I have a 2 year old pittie and she chows thru bones in minutes, even those reviewed as "long lasting". This thing is still going strong after 9 months. She was not initially interested, had to spread peanut butter on one end, one time, and now it is her go-to chew toy. Looks a little mangled after all this time but she's not even 75% thru it. Highly recommend, no stomach issues.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2026
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Sarah Brannan
Bozeman, US
★★★★★ 5
Great, durable bone
My dog loves this bone! It’s super durable and has lasted a few months. Keeps my golden busy! Definitely will buy again.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2026
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Veronica-Marie Landolfi
Charlottesville, US
★★★★★ 5
Best long-lasting dog chew
If you want something to occupy your dog that's harmless, this is the one. He doesn't have to chase it, so it doesn't get lost under the cabinets, and he's been chewing it for hours and barely made a mark on it. When he's chewing on this, he's not whining or asking to sit on my lap, and he can stay nearby as he enjoys this toy.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2026
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W&E
Battle Creek, US
★★★★★ 4
Not perfect for every dog, but still worth a shot
I bought the bacon-flavored Benebone with high hopes after reading the reviews. Our 45lb mutt loves to chew on bones (and thankfully that's ALL she loves to chew on!) but we've had trouble finding anything that she can't destroy in one sitting. We've heard that antlers are the longest lasting but can be damaging to the dog's teeth, so we wanted to try something with a little less potential for disaster. The Benebone wishbone fared okay. I do have to say that she loved the bone, as did our 14lb schnoodle. The first day she had it, they took turns gnawing on it for hours. Unfortunately, the large one's jaws are quite strong, and so by the end of day 1 there were some pretty significant teething marks on each of the ends, and it was starting to look pretty gnarly. I put it up for a little bit, but they've had other nylon bones that looked worse so I gave it back to them the next day. On day 2, the little one was chewing on it so vigorously (and I think the bone was gnarly enough) that her gums started bleeding. I noticed the blood on the bone so I took it away again. On day 3, I gave the bone back to the large one to chew on. It wasn't too long, though, until I was hearing some pretty loud snaps and I found that the large pup was actually starting to get larger pieces off of the ends of the wishbone. This had me worried, so I threw the wishbone away. Relative to other chew toys that the large one likes (she'll only chew on bones and edibles, for some reason - nothing with any sort of rubbery material), this did actually have a decent life span, but we're still looking for something better. I give the product 3 stars because the dogs clearly loved the bone, and I'm sure that it's perfect for some dogs. For example, if it was just our schnoodle chewing on it, it would have lasted much longer and I would probably be posting a 5-star review here. In the end, though, we did buy the wishbone for the larger dog, and it failed to hold up for her - for the price, I would have wanted something that lasts longer - hence the two star deduction. UPDATE 8/10/2014: Not long after I posted this review, Benebone contacted me in the comments to offer a refund and hinted at the potential for a larger bone sometime in the future. I sent in our order number and they processed the refund quickly. I've added back an extra star, because Benebone's stellar customer service has made the product worth the try. I would definitely do business with Benebone again, and I'm looking forward to trying (or rather, having my pup try) a larger version of the bone if/when it surfaces!
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Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2014
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Morgan prickett
Grantham, US
★★★★★ 5
I Import These to Mexico That's How Good They Are
I have purchased this bone at least 10 times and will keep buying it indefinitely. I have 8 rescue dogs, all extreme chewers , we're talking dogs that destroy absolutely everything. This is the only bone I've found that holds their interest and keeps them coming back for more. I've tried every type of bone on the market. This one wins! My dogs range from 5 lbs to 100 lbs and every single one of them is equally obsessed. I now order 5 at a time because I know they'll all be used. The price point is excellent for what you get, and after constant use across 8 dogs, I haven't noticed any negative effects on their health or teeth. I love these so much that I actually import them to Mexico, that should tell you everything. Every time someone visits and sees how occupied and happy my dogs are, they immediately ask where they can get them too. Benebone, you have a customer for life!!!!!!
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Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2026

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