Remarkable Resilience: The Life and Legacy of Noemi Ban
Beyond the Holocaust
by Diane Sue
About the Book
After enduring Nazi imprisonment and losing most of her family during the Holocaust, Noemi Ban was slowly recovering from her traumatic past – until the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Terrified by a resurgence of Nazi sentiment, and the increased tyranny of the Soviet regime, Noemi summoned her courage and guided her husband and young sons through a successful escape into Austria.
Welcomed into the United States as a refugee, Noemi navigated the complexities of life as an immigrant and returned to her teaching career, yet remained silent about her experiences as a Nazi prisoner. At the age of seventy-three, inspired by a speech given by fellow Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace prize winner Elie Wiezel, Noemi returned to Auschwitz-Birkenau to confront her haunting memories and honor her loved ones. She then dedicated the next three decades to sharing her story, capturing the hearts of tens of thousands of students and community members throughout the United States and beyond.
Remarkable Resilience, written in Noemi’s voice by one of her closest friends, preserves Noemi’s legacy and messages of hope and healing. Further, Noemi’s story provides a unique historical perspective from which to view current national and international political events.
About Noemi Ban
Noemi Ban dedicated thirty-three years to Holocaust education, by making over 1200 presentations throughout the United States and as far away as Hungary and Taiwan.
In recognition of her public speaking and activism, she was awarded the Excellence in Holocaust Education Award, the Washington Education Association Human and Civil Rights Award, and honorary doctorate degrees from both Gonzaga University and Western Washington University. Noemi was also inducted into the Northwest Women’s Hall of Fame and received the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Americanism Medal, an honor given to American citizens who have made an outstanding contribution to the nation.
About the Author
Diane M. Sue has co-authored multiple psychology textbooks including Foundations in Counseling and Psychotherapy: Evidenced-Based practices for a Diverse Society.
“Dr. Diane Sue is eminently qualified to bring Noemi’s story to life. Not only did she and Noemi share decades of close friendship, Diane’s academic and professional background provided her with the skills to listen deeply and to eloquently describe Noemi’s journey of transforming trauma into compassion and healing.”
~Ray Wolpow, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus and former Director of the Northwest Center for Holocaust, Genocide and Ethnocide Education, Western Washington University
Live Book Launch Day Interview with Diane Sue and Guests
Watch the recording of the “Remarkable Reslience” Book Launch Day Event HERE.
Interview with Diane Sue
Please share a bit about your journey to become a published author?
Although I have written textbooks in the field of psychology published by Cengage and JC Wiley Publishing, Remarkable Resilience is my first non-academic book. Textbook publishers employ professional representatives who do all of the marketing for authors so I was unaccustomed to the process of launching or marketing a book. I have appreciated Julie’s private coaching on the matter of setting up a website and understanding the process of positioning Remarkable Resilience in a way that will reach the broadest audience possible.
Show More
How does the writing process work for you?
I find that my most productive writing occurs in the morning, after I have taken some time to sit outside and welcome the new day. The specifics of what I do each day is influenced by my energy. For example, I write new text when I am feeling inspired and the words flow easily. If I’m not feeling creative, I use my allotted writing time to organize, reread and perfect what I have already written.
The writing process for Remarkable Resilience flowed fairly smoothly since it involved spending time with my dear friend, Noémi Ban. We sat and chatted, and I took notes as she shared and processed her memories of her recovery from the trauma of the Holocaust and living under the Stalin regime as well as the many other memorable events in her life. I then wrote the chapters in a sequential fashion and took them back to Noémi for her review and approval.
What did you find most difficult about the writing and publishing process? What was the easiest?
The biggest challenge was organizing the information from my working sessions with Noémi and also incorporating details from her many public speeches, her youth-oriented Holocaust memoir, Sharing is Healing: A Holocaust Survivor’s Story, and the 2007 documentary, My Name is Noémi. It was also challenging to set the socio-political context of the book in a way in which readers could easily grasp the historical framework within which the events occurred. This was not an easy task given the complexities of Austro-Hungarian and Hungarian history as well as the complexities of World War I, World War II and the Cold War.
The easiest part of this project was spending time with Noémi and listening to her stories. Even though we addressed many difficult topics and memories, it was within the context of love and trust.
What title (or titles) have you released?
Some of my previous work includes co-authorship of Foundations of Counseling and Psychotherapy: Evidence-Based Practices for a Diverse Society (2008); Understanding Abnormal Behavior, 12th edition (2022), and Essentials of Understanding Abnormal Behavior, 3rd edition (2017), books that are written for helping professionals or undergraduate students who are studying psychology.
Do you have any new books in the planning or writing stage?
After finishing this project, I began planning another book about resilience. I have tentatively titled the book, Cultivating Resilience in a Changing World. My plan is to use examples from Noémi’s story to take a deeper dive into the process of recovering from trauma as well as address the socio-political and personal issues brought forward by Noémi’s story.
What would you like readers to know about you?
I was born in Winchester, Virginia and raised in Northern California. After graduating from college, I moved to Michigan where I received my Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and began my career working as a school psychologist. I later settled in Bellingham, Washington and continued working in the public schools, periodically teaching adjunct courses in the education and psychology departments at Western Washington University.
I have three adult children and have been very involved with the upbringing of my grandsons – energetic, identical twin boys. I love traveling, reading, tennis, gardening, hiking, and spending time with family and friends.
As a Certified Sag-ing leader with Sage-ing International, I enjoy leading conscious ageing workshops and wisdom circles, and am delighted to include participants from across the globe. I am also very involved with climate justice work and volunteer as a grief group facilitator for the COVID Grief Network.
One of my passions is connecting with youth and young adults. Having worked with preschool, elementary, middle and high school as well as college students, I have experienced the pleasure of supporting (and learning from) youth of all ages, and continue to enjoy multi-generational contact. I believe that grandparents and other extended family members have tremendous potential to be transformational leaders in the lives of youth.
What are you hoping that readers will take away from this book?
I am hoping that readers will feel inspired by Noémi’s wisdom and resilience. Noémi’s story also provides a unique historical perspective from which to view the current national and international political situation.