Inspired by Joe Rubinstein's Story: Ames High School | Olivia
© Olivia Lauber
Inspired by Joe's Story:
"My illustration represents Joe reliving what his father went through while dying from cancer. The shadows in the thought bubble show the family he has lost and also show that he thinks he will join them soon. I decided to draw this scene because of the emotional intensity. Joe realizes the pain his father must have been going through, which is a pain he wishes no one would experience. He must decide whether to fight the pain and survive for his family or to stop fighting and hopefully join his family. "I had to think about what I had seen, and breathed, and consumed, and I wondered if everything about this place had burrowed itself so deeply inside me that i had become like the cancer that killed my father, a cancer that had eaten away everything that was good" (Geise 127). This quote shows the pain and unhappiness Joe feels, much like his father did. The point of this illustration was to represent that emotional intensity within the passage and to show the decision Joe must make that will influence the rest of his life."
–Olivia Lauber
May 2016
Ames High School Student, (English Teacher: Trish Johnson)
Ames, Iowa
The above post was submitted by a reader after being inspired by the Joe Rubinstein’s story, Auschwitz #34207. Joe’s story is one of faith, hope and love…and never giving in to despair. Although he lost nearly everything a person can lose, Jose found a way to live (and continues to live) an extraordinary, joy-filled life. Joe’s journey continues to this day though people finding hope and inspiration by his example.
Please become a part of Joe’s Journey by sharing the ways his story has touched you, so you can inspire others to live a joy-filled life.
–Nancy Sprowell Geise