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Based on True
Events: Regina of Warsaw: An Unforgettable Story of
Heartbreak and Survival
PALO ALTO, Calif. ―
By all accounts, Regina Anuszewicz was a woman ahead of her
time. She defied the female norms and stereotypes of the
early 1900s and fled the violence unfolding in Warsaw on her
own, with an infant. And because she left Poland before the
wars, she survived. And because she survived, her
granddaughter, Geri Spieler, can share Regina’s
unforgettable story in the new book,
Regina of Warsaw: Love, Loss and Liberation.
“Readers will
appreciate the premise of the story because, in some ways,
it mirrors what is happening in the world today,” Spieler
said.
“It’s a story of bravery and survival.”
From the first page,
readers are transported to 1906 Bialystok, Poland, where
Regina Anuszewicz was visiting her sister and looking
forward to a late June stroll along the Bialy River. It
should have been an exciting time to stay overnight in the
women's boarding house, but a violent pogrom blasted those
plans as a rage of violence shook the town and Regina's
hopes. Russian soldiers and police swarmed the streets and
homes, and once they reached her sister's boarding house,
all Regina could do was hide inside a closet, barely able to
breathe as she heard screams and people begging for their
lives.
The trauma of that
day shaped Regina's life and ignited her passion to take a
more active role in fighting antisemitism. The atrocities
that her family endured impacted every decision she made in
life as she moved through the days and years, coloring her
approach to every event that took her from Poland to the
United States, and how she cared for the four children she
sought to protect.
About the Author
Geri Spieler is a
journalist, investigative reporter and award-winning
speaker. She has written for the Los Angeles Times, San
Francisco Chronicle, Forbes, and as a research director for
Gartner, a global technology advising company. She regularly
contributed to Huffington Post and Truthdig.com, an
award-winning investigative reporting website. She is also
the author of San Francisco Values: Common Ground for
Getting America Back on Track, and the multiple
award-winning Housewife Assassin: The Woman Who Tried To
Kill President Ford, which has been optioned for a
movie. She lives in the San Francisco Bay with her husband,
nine chickens, and 10 fruit trees.
To learn more,
please visit https://gerispieler.com/, or follow her on
Instagram (gspieler124), Facebook (Geri Spieler) and
Substack (Geri Spieler).
Amazon link:
https://www.amazon.com/Regina-Warsaw-Love-Loss-Liberation-ebook/dp/B0CZ6R2H69/
Regina of Warsaw:
Love, Loss and Liberation
Publisher: Speaking
Volumes
Release Date: June
17, 2024
ISBN-979-8-89022-149-0
Available from
Amazon.com, BN.com and other booksellers
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ADVANCE PRAISE FOR
GERI SPIELER:
“Geri Spieler
unfolds an inspirational and sometimes heartbreaking
survival story of 16-year-old Regina’s family suffering the
catastrophic upheavals of Eastern Europe’s anti-Semitic
pogroms of early 20th century Poland, ending finally and
triumphantly with a new life in the United States. This
novel should be missed by no one seeking a story of a
strong, visionary woman bound to protect herself and her
family against terrifying odds.”
· Mary-Rose
Hayes, author Amethyst, TIME/LIFE bestseller
“Pogroms rip at the
hearts and minds of all of us, yet the stories of those who
fought back for survival must continue to be told. … Spieler
takes the reader through an intimate look at what life was
like for this young woman and the consequences of her
decisions with a deft hand the reader will appreciate.”
Carole Bumpus,
author
“Spieler captures
the delicate balance of a flourishing society for women in
Poland at the turn of the century and the growing
antisemitism from Russia. She deftly delivers a nuanced tale
of Regina of Warsaw’s story of heartbreak, hardship, and
survival, and will evoke emotions you thought buried.”
· Mary-Beth
O’Connor, author, From Junkie to Judge
“Geri Spieler is the
rare author that takes the reader inside the heart and mind
of a young girl who, alone in her family, sees the coming
disaster that Poland will suffer while those around her
refuse to admit it. With guts and grit, she extricates
herself from the country, on her own, to forge a new life in
America, where new tragedy awaits her.”
· Nanci
Woody, author, Tears and Trombones
“In Regina of
Warsaw, based on the life of her immigrant grandmother, Geri
Spieler invites us into the authentic cultural world of one
Jewish family during the 1906 antisemitic attacks
(“pogroms”) in tsarist Russia. Heartbreaking violence
coexists with a struggle for normalcy as 16-year-old Regina
takes on the role of her family’s protector. Whether we are
hiding in a closet or sitting around a table piled with
traditional foods, we are part of vivid scenes that break
our hearts with trauma, warmth, tenacity and hope.”
· Elise
Miller, author, The Berkeley Girl
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