1. The Soviets and the Germans were ideological enemies on the extreme left and the extreme right. Why did they ally themselves and attack Poland?
2. Was it unethical/immoral for Irena to continue working in the Polish government after the Germans took over?
3. Irena’s actions put the lives of her fellow social workers at risk. Did she owe any duty of safety to those in her department who were not involved, and potentially unaware of her actions?
4. What motivated Irena? Was she truly motivated to help these children or was this a selfish action on her part to resist the Germans and maintain an important role during the war?
5. There is a scene in the story when Klaus overeats at his daughter’s birthday party. At the same time, he comes up with the solution to cut the calories of the ghetto inhabitants from 600 to 300 per day. Members of the Nazi party were capable of strong family connections and other noble traits while also able to perpetuate incredible atrocities. How does this happen?
6. Irena did not give up the names of any of her contacts during months of torture. There are other documented instances during World War II of women handling torture more effectively than men (such as four women conspirators caught during a revolt in Auschwitz). Why might this be the case?
7. Who was the most heroic person in the book and why?
8. Why did the Soviets, after the war was over, suppress Irena’s role in helping Jewish children?
9. Irena had a complicated relationship with her mother, carried on an affair during the war, had a difficult relationship with her children, and was divorced three times. Do those personal issues change the way you view her wartime heroics?
10. If you put yourself in Irena’s shoes, could you do what she did? Would you have escaped Warsaw early in the war, as her mother desired? Would you stick to your duties in the department? Is Irena extraordinary, or would many people in her position do the same?