A Brilliant Life - My Mother’s Inspiring True Story of Surviving the Holocaust

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.

As Mira is nearing the end of her life, her daughter Rachelle wants to find out how her mother had lived through four concentration camps, including Auschwitz, and a Death March. There was a mystery to her survival, it seemed—which perhaps had something to do with the strange things that always happened around her. And, incredibly, when giving testimony later in life, she says that it was during this time—despite witnessing the depths of man’s cruelty—that she learned about “the goodness of people.”

Born in Czechoslovakia, Mira was only 12 years old when World War II broke out. At 88, living in Australia, she is diagnosed with cancer, and her journalist daughter decides to interview her to distract her from her illness. What Rachelle discovers about her mother helps her fit together the jigsaw pieces of her own life. A Brilliant Life portrays not only how remote a prospect it was to live through the Holocaust, but what it is like to be the child of a survivor. 

A story of love, loss, wonder and the deepest kind of faith, A Brilliant Life questions the role that fate, chance and destiny play in one's life. It is a tribute to family, a story of incredible resilience and a chronicle of the deep connection between mother and child that not even death can destroy. 

 

How did one woman survive the unimaginable, and what legacy did she leave for her daughter?

A True Story of Survival: The astonishing journey of Mira Unreich, who endured four concentration camps—including Auschwitz—and a Death March, only to emerge with her faith in humanity intact. Child of a Survivor: Told through intimate interviews, Rachelle pieces together the puzzle of her mother’s past and, in doing so, discovers the truth of her own identity. Faith and Hope in Darkness: An exploration of the inexplicable miracles and profound acts of kindness from strangers that made survival possible, questioning the role of fate, chance, and destiny. An Unforgettable Family Saga: A powerful tribute to the family Mira lost, the one she built, and the deep, abiding love between a mother and child that transcends even death.