Description
Book SynopsisThe devastation of the November 1938 pogrom, euphemistically known as 'Crystal Night', introduced a new level of Nazi horror that ended the author's family's happy life. This work describes the daily struggle to survive: overcrowding and disease, the underground world of criminals, hunger, heat, and humidity.
Trade Review"A fascinating and moving memoir that begins with [Heppner’s] childhood in Nazi Germany and moves briskly from one compelling scene to the next."—
Forward"The author describes in detail the sights and sounds of his adopted environment, the mingling of Jews and many nationalities, the choking stench and the humidity, the decadent, exotic underworld of criminals and beggars, the terror of air raids and Japanese guards, the rampant poverty and disease. The general tone, however, is positive, even inspiring, and behind all the experiences lurks a sense of adventure and simple good luck."—
Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter"An important addition to the historical record of World War II, an autobiography of a remarkable man’s formative years, and a testimony to the power of community and human perseverance."—
Indianapolis Star"Ernest G. Heppner’s Shanghai Refuge fills in the fragments . . . of this little-known Jewish community. . . . His story is an odd mixture of defiance, courage, endurance and survival. His experience [is] fascinating."—Michael Berenbaum, Director, U.S. Holocaust Research Institute
"Heppner's descriptions . . . ring true and carry conviction, especially when he recalls in evocative detail his day-to-day experiences in Nazi Germany. Similarly, his recollection of Shanghai, with its small, telling details of privations, indignities, anxieties, and horrors make maximum impact—from the rat in the bakery that he lifted up by its tail to the carnage following an American air raid."—Bernard Wasserstein, author of
The Secret Lives of Trebitsch Lincoln
