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Regina's Closet: Finding My Grandmother's Secret Journal
When glamorous Regina inexplicably ends her own life, her ten-year-old grand-daughter Diana is devasted by the loss and haunted by questions she never got to ask her grandmother. Three decades later, Diana discovers her grandmother's journal which gives Diana a window into the unknown events of Regina's tumultuous life, including surviving World War I, the heartbreak of being orphaned, and the pandemonium of events during her immigrations from Poland to Vienna to Paris and finally to the United States.Diana draws strength from her grandmother's example, which sustains her when she receives some of her own shattering news. To share her personal story, Diana must first tell Regina's. The end result is a unique braided narrative, with excerpts of Regina's diary interwoven with Diana's own life experiences, creating a touching portrait between granddaughter and grandmother, their past and present, loves and losses, and the discovery of their shared legacy.
166 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2007
About the author
Diana Raab
14 books246 followersDiana Raab, PhD is a memoirist, poet, essayist, thought-leader, and speaker. She presents workshops in writing for healing and transformation. She has a PhD in Psychology with a concentration in Transpersonal Psychology with a research focus on the healing and transformative powers of memoir writing. Her educational background also includes health administration, nursing, and creative writing.
She teaches two courses on “DailyOM: Write. Heal. Transform: A Magical Memoir Writing Course“ and “Therapeutic Writing.”
She’s an award-winning author of 13 books, and her articles and poems have been published and anthologized worldwide. She’s also the editor of two anthologies, "Writers on the Edge: 22 Writers Speak About Addiction and Dependency," and "Writers and Their Notebooks."
Raab’s memoirs include "Regina’s Closet: Finding My Grandmother’s Secret Journal" and "Healing With Words: A Writer’s Cancer Journey". She has 5 poetry collections, including her latest, "An Imaginary Affair: Poems Whispered to Neruda".
Her writing workshops and inspirational speaking engagements are based on her books "Writing for Bliss: A Seven-Step Plan for Telling Your Story and Transforming Your Life" and "Writing for Bliss: A Companion Journal".
Raab’s latest memoir, "Hummingbird: Messages from My Ancestors, a memoir with reflection and writing prompts" was released in January 2024.
She writes for Psychology Today, Thrive Global, Medium, The Wisdom Daily, Sixty And Me, The Good Men Project, and many others.
For more information, check out her website, www.dianaraab.com
She teaches two courses on “DailyOM: Write. Heal. Transform: A Magical Memoir Writing Course“ and “Therapeutic Writing.”
She’s an award-winning author of 13 books, and her articles and poems have been published and anthologized worldwide. She’s also the editor of two anthologies, "Writers on the Edge: 22 Writers Speak About Addiction and Dependency," and "Writers and Their Notebooks."
Raab’s memoirs include "Regina’s Closet: Finding My Grandmother’s Secret Journal" and "Healing With Words: A Writer’s Cancer Journey". She has 5 poetry collections, including her latest, "An Imaginary Affair: Poems Whispered to Neruda".
Her writing workshops and inspirational speaking engagements are based on her books "Writing for Bliss: A Seven-Step Plan for Telling Your Story and Transforming Your Life" and "Writing for Bliss: A Companion Journal".
Raab’s latest memoir, "Hummingbird: Messages from My Ancestors, a memoir with reflection and writing prompts" was released in January 2024.
She writes for Psychology Today, Thrive Global, Medium, The Wisdom Daily, Sixty And Me, The Good Men Project, and many others.
For more information, check out her website, www.dianaraab.com
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 5, 2019
Harrowing account of one woman's experiences as a child during WW1, becoming orphaned, her struggles, fleeing her home to Vienna, then as the Nazis approach, fleeing again and again, until she reaches the US with her family. The first part of the memoir is composed of Regina's journal, which the author, Diana Raab receives years after Regina, her grandmother, committed suicide. The last part of the novel Raab contemplates on her relationship with her grandmother, her grandfather, and her mother. Regina's journal is an important historic document.
February 10, 2018
This story was sad and it touched a little bit on war, immigration and depression. I think this book was meant for the family to pass down to all the descendants.
January 31, 2008
Wow! What an incredible story. It’s rare for this reviewer to “rave” or to liter my opinions with complimentary adjectives and yet, I have been exposed to a book that absolutely demands both…Regina’s Closet: finding my grandmother’s secret journal is a hauntingly beautiful story of two women, Diana Raab and her beloved Grandmother, Regina Klein. You will smile and cry. You will be shocked and astounded, the narrative is filled with such raw emotion that it reaches out from the pages and touches the reader in a very tangible way.
Author, Diana Raab shares her grandmother’s journal, which follows her difficult and frightening experiences in war torn Poland, events of World War I, witnessing the Russian invasion, atrocities committed by soldiers, the death of her mother in the cholera epidemic, the cramped trains evacuees spent weeks riding only to arrive in cities where the natives did not want them and had no reservations about expressing such in the most hurtful of ways. Even as a child, Regina was not sparred this degrading hostility. Over and over again she is forced to make adult decisions and each time her incredible strength and unusual ability to understand the ways of the world shines through the darkness that surrounded her. The family eventually imigrated to the United States and settled in Brooklyn, New York, where things remained tense between her grandparents, but Diana wouldn’t realize until years later, while reading the journal the extent of her grandmother’s marital unhappiness.
Meticulously and masterfully, Diana has woven her feelings, fears and experiences throughout this extraoridnary narrative and the result is this once-in-a-lifetime story. Diana found strength and grace in those handwritten, time worn and yellowing pages. She began to see her grandmother in a new light, as she read about the horrific things she had witnessed and the hardships she had endured as a child, she couldn’t help but wonder if these things had played a part in her grandmother’s decision to take her own life. Growing up, Diana was always closer to her grandmother…she spent a great deal of time with Regina and had fond memories of things her grandmother shared with her. In 1964, at ten years old, Diana was home alone with her grandmother when Regina took an overdose of sleeping medication. The loss of her beloved grandmother had a profound affect on the young Diana and years later she would have an exceptional opportunity to reconnect with her grandmother, through the secret journal.
Regina (grandmother) was a true hero..wise beyond her years, with a quiet strength that crossed the generations via the words of her journal and influenced her darling grand-daughter, giving her courage and providing solace and sanctuary. She could not have known that years after penning the diary and many years after her death, her reflections would reach millions of readers. I applaud Diana Raab for recognizing the significance and beauty of her grandmother’s words and for taking the initiative to share this intimate journey with us. The author has definitely inherited her grandmother’s way with words and allowed her heart to flow freely within the pen strokes that created this literary masterpiece.
I recommend “Regina’s Closet: finding my grandmother’s secret journal” to all readers, everywhere…don’t miss this heart warming, inspiring and life-affirming book– this is one you will want to share with everyone!
Author, Diana Raab shares her grandmother’s journal, which follows her difficult and frightening experiences in war torn Poland, events of World War I, witnessing the Russian invasion, atrocities committed by soldiers, the death of her mother in the cholera epidemic, the cramped trains evacuees spent weeks riding only to arrive in cities where the natives did not want them and had no reservations about expressing such in the most hurtful of ways. Even as a child, Regina was not sparred this degrading hostility. Over and over again she is forced to make adult decisions and each time her incredible strength and unusual ability to understand the ways of the world shines through the darkness that surrounded her. The family eventually imigrated to the United States and settled in Brooklyn, New York, where things remained tense between her grandparents, but Diana wouldn’t realize until years later, while reading the journal the extent of her grandmother’s marital unhappiness.
Meticulously and masterfully, Diana has woven her feelings, fears and experiences throughout this extraoridnary narrative and the result is this once-in-a-lifetime story. Diana found strength and grace in those handwritten, time worn and yellowing pages. She began to see her grandmother in a new light, as she read about the horrific things she had witnessed and the hardships she had endured as a child, she couldn’t help but wonder if these things had played a part in her grandmother’s decision to take her own life. Growing up, Diana was always closer to her grandmother…she spent a great deal of time with Regina and had fond memories of things her grandmother shared with her. In 1964, at ten years old, Diana was home alone with her grandmother when Regina took an overdose of sleeping medication. The loss of her beloved grandmother had a profound affect on the young Diana and years later she would have an exceptional opportunity to reconnect with her grandmother, through the secret journal.
Regina (grandmother) was a true hero..wise beyond her years, with a quiet strength that crossed the generations via the words of her journal and influenced her darling grand-daughter, giving her courage and providing solace and sanctuary. She could not have known that years after penning the diary and many years after her death, her reflections would reach millions of readers. I applaud Diana Raab for recognizing the significance and beauty of her grandmother’s words and for taking the initiative to share this intimate journey with us. The author has definitely inherited her grandmother’s way with words and allowed her heart to flow freely within the pen strokes that created this literary masterpiece.
I recommend “Regina’s Closet: finding my grandmother’s secret journal” to all readers, everywhere…don’t miss this heart warming, inspiring and life-affirming book– this is one you will want to share with everyone!
March 11, 2018
Part memoir, part diary of the author's grandmother Regina, Regina's Closet kept my attention page after page. It was a fast read I could hardly put down. The author has woven her emotional struggle to process her grief with excerpts of her grandmother's diary given to her over 40 years after her grandmother completed suicide. While the memoir is about the relationship between author and grandmother and the loss created when the grandmother died, the diary of Regina is also a heart breaking account of WWI and post WWI years as a child refugee from Kalush, Galicia (a partition of Poland). Regina's Closet is a beautiful memorialization of the author's grandmother's life.
November 3, 2021
Regina's Closet is the story of author Diana Raab's grandmother, as told through a found diary and research. Regina survived WWI as a child and escaped Vienna after kristallnacht, finding her way to Paris and then the US. The story was interesting and heartfelt. Raab writes at the end, "The journey has helped me realize that life without love is no life at all, and that those who have survived severe childhood traumas continue to live with the pain until the day they die." So true.
Thanks to Diana Raab for a free copy of Regina's Closet won through a Goodreads giveaway. I certainly appreciated the book and the personal note from the author that came with it.
Thanks to Diana Raab for a free copy of Regina's Closet won through a Goodreads giveaway. I certainly appreciated the book and the personal note from the author that came with it.
December 7, 2023
This 160-page book is a fast read, a family history.
I chose to pick it up NOW, before the end of 2023, because I realized I hadn’t read a single WWII book all year (shocking—but I’m a little burnt out on them + I’m a much more sensitive reader as a Mom).
For an outsider (the general public), this provides some insight into WWI, WWII, immigration, and inherited depression (which can lead to #triggerwaring suicide), but tbh didn’t really *stand out* to me.
HOWEVER, that being said, this is an INCREDIBLE document for her family to have. And with only 57 review on @goodreads the target audience is obviously in line with my assumptions (I can’t remember where I even found this copy), but I was also incredibly inspired to begin writing some of my own family history (one day—let’s be real—I don’t have time for that rn). 🤣
I mean, how cool would it be to have a slim little volume like this on all of your immediate family members?! Or is that just the nerd in me? (It also makes you wonder what other people work wrote about YOU!)
Anyways, go read a book today. Doesn’t matter how big or how small, how popular or how unclassified, just READ.
I chose to pick it up NOW, before the end of 2023, because I realized I hadn’t read a single WWII book all year (shocking—but I’m a little burnt out on them + I’m a much more sensitive reader as a Mom).
For an outsider (the general public), this provides some insight into WWI, WWII, immigration, and inherited depression (which can lead to #triggerwaring suicide), but tbh didn’t really *stand out* to me.
HOWEVER, that being said, this is an INCREDIBLE document for her family to have. And with only 57 review on @goodreads the target audience is obviously in line with my assumptions (I can’t remember where I even found this copy), but I was also incredibly inspired to begin writing some of my own family history (one day—let’s be real—I don’t have time for that rn). 🤣
I mean, how cool would it be to have a slim little volume like this on all of your immediate family members?! Or is that just the nerd in me? (It also makes you wonder what other people work wrote about YOU!)
Anyways, go read a book today. Doesn’t matter how big or how small, how popular or how unclassified, just READ.
June 25, 2023
This is a beautifully made, quick read, with a matter-of-fact writing style. Heartfelt, clear language from both the author and author’s grandmother-subject-matter, convey the story of Regina’s death and the life that led to it.
I finished the whole book in about three hours; the horrors of war and hardness of life for Jews in WWI and WWII was difficult to read about. It was also heartbreaking to consider how ubiquitous dysfunctional relationships are, and the damage they can do that last for generations.
I finished the whole book in about three hours; the horrors of war and hardness of life for Jews in WWI and WWII was difficult to read about. It was also heartbreaking to consider how ubiquitous dysfunctional relationships are, and the damage they can do that last for generations.
February 25, 2011
A closet is a curious space. A place for storing clothes, shoes and who knows what else, it quickly becomes a wonderful place to hide. One can curl up inside a closet and snuggle into the racks of clothes, often laced with perfume. A closet is also a place to keep precious documents. One can tuck away birth certificates, marriage certificates, all kinds of certificates that identify an individual into a shoebox and stuff it in a corner of a closet. Indeed, a closet is a treasure-trove of secrets and souvenirs, a place where sacred memories can be tucked away for personal viewing only at a later date. It is, quite simply, a small, private space, much like the human mind. Regina’s closet held a precious gift to a young lady whose childhood was scarred by her grandmother’s suicide. Tucked away in the back of Regina’s closet were pages of neatly typewritten pages of a journal, the story of Regina’s life. It was a tragic life, one racked with sorrows, fears, and the basic struggles for survival in a world torn apart by war.
It is amazing the various influences throughout one’s life that affect the ability of one to function productively within society. It is just as amazing how one’s life’s influences, in turn, affect those who come after: the children, and the grandchildren. The horrors of Regina Reinharz Klein’s childhood, her mother’s rejection, her numerous escapes from the invading armies in two world wars, and her life-long search for love and acceptance culminate in her adoration of her granddaughter, the same sentiment her granddaughter felt for her. Regina’s Closet: finding my grandmother’s secret journal is a compelling story of one person’s life and how it reflected on her family, particularly that of her granddaughter, Diana (the author). Regina’s life ultimately affected the lives of her family; but her story helped heal the sores left behind by her untimely demise. Regina’s story is a story of love, a love that can only be shared between a grandmother and a granddaughter. This is a special kind of love. It is a bond that lasts a lifetime.
Diana M. Raab is Regina’s granddaughter. A wife, a mother, and a successful writer, Diana teaches writing at University of California Santa Barbara Extension and often lectures on journaling. With an academic background in journalism, health administration and nursing, she is a published journalist on a wide range of topics. She is also a poet and she has won several awards for her work. Regina’s Closet: finding my grandmother’s secret journal won the 2008 National Indie Excellence Award for a memoir and it was a finalist for ForeWord Magazine’s Books of the Year for a memoir.
A compassionate story of self-discovery, personal reflection, and self worth, Regina’s Closet: finding my grandmother’s secret journal is a dramatic and compelling memoir. It is highly recommended by award-winning author, Emily-Jane Hills Orford, Allbooks Reviews.
It is amazing the various influences throughout one’s life that affect the ability of one to function productively within society. It is just as amazing how one’s life’s influences, in turn, affect those who come after: the children, and the grandchildren. The horrors of Regina Reinharz Klein’s childhood, her mother’s rejection, her numerous escapes from the invading armies in two world wars, and her life-long search for love and acceptance culminate in her adoration of her granddaughter, the same sentiment her granddaughter felt for her. Regina’s Closet: finding my grandmother’s secret journal is a compelling story of one person’s life and how it reflected on her family, particularly that of her granddaughter, Diana (the author). Regina’s life ultimately affected the lives of her family; but her story helped heal the sores left behind by her untimely demise. Regina’s story is a story of love, a love that can only be shared between a grandmother and a granddaughter. This is a special kind of love. It is a bond that lasts a lifetime.
Diana M. Raab is Regina’s granddaughter. A wife, a mother, and a successful writer, Diana teaches writing at University of California Santa Barbara Extension and often lectures on journaling. With an academic background in journalism, health administration and nursing, she is a published journalist on a wide range of topics. She is also a poet and she has won several awards for her work. Regina’s Closet: finding my grandmother’s secret journal won the 2008 National Indie Excellence Award for a memoir and it was a finalist for ForeWord Magazine’s Books of the Year for a memoir.
A compassionate story of self-discovery, personal reflection, and self worth, Regina’s Closet: finding my grandmother’s secret journal is a dramatic and compelling memoir. It is highly recommended by award-winning author, Emily-Jane Hills Orford, Allbooks Reviews.
February 5, 2016
When her aging mother throws a stack of yellowed papers onto her kitchen table, Diana has no idea of the treasure she's just been given. These papers end up being a retrospective journal, written by Diana's late grandmother who lived in Europe previous to World War I. Within the book Regina's Closet, Diana uses the journal as a framework for understanding her Grandmother's past and as well as her decision to take her own life. We experience war-torn Poland and Vienna through the eyes of a child that must grow up far too soon.
The journal itself is fascinating. Regina's childhood was so agonizing - fraught with the misery that befell many as a result of the first Great War, and it also provides a very unique perspective for viewing that time period. She didn't mince details and was painfully honest about her emotions during the hardest times. I felt like I really got a sense of her as a child just from her own descriptions of herself and the experiences that shaped her. I always was engaged when reading her story, despite the fact that it was a very unhappy one.
More than a memoir, this book feels to me like a family history in which Diana helps us out by giving us some context of the time period beyond the journal, as well as what happened in her own life during the time her Grandmother was alive. I appreciated this research, since it fills in some of the holes that necessarily spot any kind of journal. Sometimes when more present day information was inserted to show a relationship to the past, it seemed to move me out of my groove as a reader, a little bit. I suppose it made it harder for me to keep the chronology straight. Don't let this dissuade you from picking this one up, however, if you are interested in the subject - and especially if you have people in your life with depression. I think Diana has a very straightforward and unique story to tell that should certainly be appreciated by many.
The journal itself is fascinating. Regina's childhood was so agonizing - fraught with the misery that befell many as a result of the first Great War, and it also provides a very unique perspective for viewing that time period. She didn't mince details and was painfully honest about her emotions during the hardest times. I felt like I really got a sense of her as a child just from her own descriptions of herself and the experiences that shaped her. I always was engaged when reading her story, despite the fact that it was a very unhappy one.
More than a memoir, this book feels to me like a family history in which Diana helps us out by giving us some context of the time period beyond the journal, as well as what happened in her own life during the time her Grandmother was alive. I appreciated this research, since it fills in some of the holes that necessarily spot any kind of journal. Sometimes when more present day information was inserted to show a relationship to the past, it seemed to move me out of my groove as a reader, a little bit. I suppose it made it harder for me to keep the chronology straight. Don't let this dissuade you from picking this one up, however, if you are interested in the subject - and especially if you have people in your life with depression. I think Diana has a very straightforward and unique story to tell that should certainly be appreciated by many.
December 1, 2010
I liked this book, but it took me forever to read because, well, I kept forgetting I was reading it. Hmmmm... But really, I liked it while I was reading it. The subject matter was very sad. Lots of pre-WWI stuff and the various occupations and raids and Regina was caught in the middle of it. A hard life and very sad childhood. Some people bear such tremendous burdens! However, Regina's journal entries are very matter-of-fact which lessened the sadness a little. Written by Regina's granddaughter, Diana Raab puts in her own ideas of why maybe some things happened the way they did based on her research and her impressions as she studied her grandmother's journal. At times I thought she was harsh as she described tendencies of those she loves, but maybe she was just being honest and trying to find a reason why things turned out the way they did.
April 3, 2011
I'm not giving anything away by saying that when the author was ten years old she found her grandmother dead of a drug overdose. This is how the memoir begins. For years, Raab had no clue as to why her grandmothe ended her life. Later, when Raab was an adult, her mother came across a journal, which the grandmother had stored on a shelf in her closet. The rest of the book tells of Regina's (the grandmother)early life in Poland, her devastating hardships during the first world war, and her escape from the Nazis at the outbreak of World War II. I am always amazed at the courage and tenacity of the Jewish people of that time period. After more suffering than some people have in a lifetime, Regina endured an unhappy marriage. In the end, she'd had enough. Some of the proceeds from this book will be donated to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
November 29, 2008
A true life book based on the discovered journal of the author's grandmother. The grandmother lived a truly remarkable life in pre WWI Poland, surviving several military attacks, then WWI, which took her to an orphanage in Vienna. She finally flees Europe during WWII, but cannot escape some of the tragedy that she has already endured.
I really loved this book for the perspective it provides on the generations that have gone before us and how those who love us leave such a mark on our own lives.
I really loved this book for the perspective it provides on the generations that have gone before us and how those who love us leave such a mark on our own lives.
May 14, 2009
Regina's story is fascinating. She could've excelled at so many things, but the world wars tore apart her family and derailed her plans. Regina planned to be a doctor and was well on her way to meeting that goal despite being essentially orphaned. Her reflections reveal her to be a very determined young woman who didn't let the hardships she faced get her down. So what circumstances caused her to take her own life after all those years of survival? While Regina's Closet doesn't provide that answer, it does give many insights into Regina's life.
August 30, 2010
I really enjoyed this book-- it went fast once I started. The weaving in and out of her grandmother's words and her own particularly interests me since I am working on a similar project about my grandfather. I also liked how she incorporated historical research and larger world events. It is a deceptively simple book. Meaning it's more complicated than it seems. But it flows well, so you don't notice. The writing was awkward in a few places, but it was easy for a reader to forgive given the urgency of the story and the passion with which it was told.
March 6, 2009
I thought I would really like this book, and yet I was quite disappointed. What wrecks the book is that everything is so dam depressing. Even acts of courage and bravery are expressed in a depressing tone. You NEVER chuckle. At anything. What, is depression inherited in this family? Sorry, am I bgeing too brutal?! Or maybe it was an interesting life but the book is not well written. It certainly lacks something.
October 27, 2009
This book was a wonderful read but I didn't enjoy the times the author put her two cents in. She would add obvious things like the story continues or things not interesting. I think she should have written it just from the grand mothers point of view. It was sad to read the negative things she said about her mother. It seemed unnecessary and done in a way to try to compare to what the grandmother went through.
January 17, 2016
This was a quick read, I started it early yesterday and was up late reading, so only had a few chapters to finish this morning. I liked this book, a nice memoir of the authors grandmother and what she meant to her.
January 31, 2014
I think I would have enjoyed this book more if it had been written by another person, rather than the author herself. She was too close to the story or maybe her writing style dampened it - regardless, I wanted to love this book but didn't.
June 17, 2011
This was one of the most amazing,insightful books I have ever read....donation to a garage sale. Feel very lucky to have run into this book!
December 24, 2011
This was an interesting story, but not great writing.
May 11, 2013
Gut wrenching. Informative.
March 26, 2017
It's a little hard to rate memoirs because you can't say things like "that plot is too predictable" or "I don't believe that character arc" since, you know, it all actually happened. What I will say is that Regina's life was amazing and full of tough choices, but her granddaughter, Diana wasn't the best archivist to sum up her life. I don't doubt she connected deeply with her grandmother's story, but I couldn't get interested in the bits she wrote about her own reaction to it. Something about the writing style dragged. It did get better once she got to the parts when she was growing up, because it was more appropriate to delve into her feelings. Even with some stylistic complaints, I'm very glad that I took a few days to read about Regina Reinharz Klein and her life.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews