IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY

About the Book

This is the story of Feiga Braun, who was born during World War I in a small town in Poland. Through stories narrated to her niece over long distance telephone conversations, we follow her remarkable life as she grew up during the period between the two world wars. We then learn about her dramatic escape from Poland ahead of the invading German Army and her life during World War II in Soviet Russia. The details of war-time life, loss of many family members in the hands of Nazis, the extraordinary efforts needed to survive and earn a living are all vividly portrayed.  The stories continue with her return to Poland, her life for ten years in Israel and her arrival in the United States, where she was able, through hard work, to make a decent living and finally earn a well deserved retirement, cherished by her children and grandchildren. Throughout these stories we marvel at her indomitable courage, her sense of responsibility towards her children and her niece and her unflagging optimism in the face of adversity.

About the Author

The author, Eva Gallay Gregoratos, is the niece of Feiga Braun. As narrated in this book, she escaped the German occupation of Poland during World War II and lived with her aunt in various locations of the Soviet Union. She came to the United States in 1947 and studied nursing earning an R.N. degree from Flower Fifth Avenue Hospital in New York City. She met her husband, Gabe Gregoratos, while he was a student at New York Medical College. They were married in New York City. She then spent the next twenty years raising their children, while she and her husband moved through his various Army duty assignments in the United States and overseas. She later completed a B.S. in Psychology and Business at Lone Mountain College and an M.B.A. in Health Care from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. She worked as a Nursing Home Administrator for over twenty years until she retired. She now lives in San Francisco with her husband of fifty two years. They have three children and four grandchildren.