Reviews

"The history in this memoir is astonishing. Driven from Germany by the Nazis, Tobias was six years old in 1938 when he and his family found refuge with 17,000 other European Jews in a part of Shanghai under Japanese occupation. His quiet personal recollection describes how they got there and what their daily life was like during the next nine years, until at the age of 15, he left for the U.S... An affecting memoir of rescue and survival." - Booklist "Tobias recounts a moving story of both hardships (which intensified after Pearl Harbor) and friendships, as he struggled to maintain his Orthodox lifestyle in an area known for its pleasures and temptations... Tobias offers personal insight into the anxieties, dislocation, and cultural classes of the time." - Library Journal "Well-written, informative text opens an interesting envelope of history." -Jewish Herald Voice "A remarkably accessible and detailed account of this vibrant community and the resilience of one family trying to create as normal and healthy a home as possible in dreadful conditions." - Gavin Hainsworth, Zachor ADVANCE PRAISE "A fascinating, well-written story that involves aspects of Shanghai's refugee youth experience not covered by any other such memoirs. It should appeal to a wide range of readers, from those interested in various aspects of the Holocaust, Jews in China, and adolescence and sexual awareness, especially within a very Jewish framework."-David Kranzler, author of Japanese, Nazis, and Jews: The Jewish Refugee Community of Shanghai, 1938-45