The powerful true story of a Holocaust survivor told by her daughter – a tale that reminds us of the resilience of the soul and the ability of the heart to heal.
A mother and daughter.
Love. Loss. Wonder.
The story of a brilliant life.
Over seventy years had passed since Mira Unreich was freed from a concentration camp in Germany. On that spring day in 1945, she found herself alive, against all odds. In the decades that followed, she never explained the mystery underpinning her survival. How could Mira say, ‘I learned about the goodness of people’ in the Holocaust?
When Mira’s journalist daughter Rachelle realised time was running out for Mira, who was ill with cancer, she resolved to ask her mother questions. It would be the most important interview of her life: a chance to discover the secrets to her mother’s joy, and an opportunity to fit together the jigsaw puzzle pieces of her own life.
Rachelle discovered so much more than she ever expected. Mira’s words would lead her along a surprising path, where she learned for the first time what a truly extraordinary life her mother had led.
A Brilliant Life weaves together the past and the present to capture the powerful connection between a mother and child. It reminds us of the resilience of the soul and the ability of the heart to heal. It is an unforgettable story about fate and chance, love and grief, and the deepest kind of faith.
Melbourne-based Rachelle Unreich has been a journalist for 38 years, writing for all the heavyweight publications: The Age, Harper’s Bazaar, marie claire and Rolling Stone, just to name a few. If you haven’t listened to her ‘Stories Behind the Story’ podcast episode with Cheryl yet, you absolutely must.
A Brilliant Life takes us on an astonishingly compelling and personal journey. No one but Unreich could have written this and achieved such justice for Mira’s legacy: she brings a wonderfully unique mix of daughterly love and journalistic acuity to the page.
I’m amazed, and deeply moved, by how strong the themes of joy and wonder are throughout this remarkable story. Of course, there were many moments when I had to stop reading to catch my breath. No matter how many times you read about the atrocities of the Holocaust, they never get any easier to digest – and nor should they. But Unreich’s upbeat (though never flippant) writing style enables us to sit through the discomfort. Filtered through Mira’s incredible fortitude, we are given a breathtaking masterclass on how to retain empathy, faith and optimism in the face of such unfathomable hardship.
The relationship between Mira and Unreich is so special, and it’s such a privilege to witness as a reader. It’s obvious that Unreich has written this book to preserve and extend her mother’s incredible life and legacy; Mira is the clear heroine of this story. But I found myself similarly inspired by Unreich’s own journey, which is also one of resilience in overcoming hardship and grief. It takes a humble backseat to Mira’s story but it’s there, quietly woven into the book’s fabric, implicitly present in this dedicated act of familial love.
A Brilliant Life is an important act of bearing witness to the atrocities of the past, but it’s also a guide to living with optimism, generosity, and a continuing belief in humanity. It’s a book that will leave you changed, encouraging deep reflection on a personal, spiritual and societal level.
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