Refuge Denied: The St. Louis Passengers and the Holocaust

Refuge Denied: The St. Louis Passengers and the Holocaust by Sarah A. Ogilvie and Scott Miller   224 pages

 On May 13, 1939, the German passenger ship, MS St. Louis sailed from Hamburg for Havana. Aboard were 937 German Jews trying to escape the rise of Hitler’s Third Reich. All had landing permits for Cuba and many had waiting numbers for the United States. Before this voyage, the St. Louis had been a luxury liner. Captain Gustav Schroeder insisted that the passengers was no different than any other passengers.

Fifteen days later, the St. Louis reached Havana. Much to their surprise, the Cuban government denied the passengers entry. Negotiations lasted several days. Cuba continued to refuse, and Schroeder set sail for America. Pleas were submitted to President Roosevelt. Without hearing from him, the ship anchored in the waters off the coast of Miami. They were so close that the passengers could see Miami’s lights. With no word from Roosevelt, Schroeder has no choice but to return to Germany. I can’t imagine the fear the passengers experienced.

When the ship returned, the passengers were dispersed to four countries: England, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

The years passed. In the United States, the Holocaust Memorial Museum was constructed. Two employees, Sarah Ogilvie and Scott Miller began to wonder what happened to those 937 German Jews. Were they swept up in Hitler’s determination to rid the world of Jewish people? Did any survive the concentration camps? Did any make it to America?

So began the research project that became this book. In 1996, Ogilvie and Miller began the arduous task of tracking down 937 people. It was a daunting task considering WWII had been over for more than 50 years.

Ten years in the making (that’s how long it took to track down all 937), this book is filled with tales of death, survivorship, research, dogged determination and sometimes just plain ol’ luck. What affected me the most was the passenger list and the photographs from the boat. Pictures of people without names makes them less personal. When you sit down to read this book, be sure to have a box of tissues handy.

 

I give Refuge Denied: The St. Louis Passengers and the Holocaust 6 out of 5 stars

 

 

 

The Key to Creation

The Key to Creation by Kevin J Anderson, 682 pages.


The war between the two countries of Tierra and Uraba continues with Solden Shah cementing his hold of the remnants of Ishalem. Meanwhile the Tierran army refuses to give up and begins to finally sees an undisputed victory for their side leading them to form an even more ambitious plan to retake Ishalem from their enemy. Across the world after encountering storms, dangerous islands, and sea monsters Criston Vora of Tierra and Saan of Uraba are closing in on the legendary promise land of Terravitae. Vora wishes to find the island to bring divine aide to Tierra, and to take his vengeance on the leviathan, whom he blames for ruining his life. Saan is looking for the  key to creation, to use as a weapon to defeat Uraba's enemies. With both countries unleashing their hatred at each other in an escalating war the could end both civilizations their best chance of survival could be the return of their gods.

The conclusion of this series takes a little bit of time to fully build its momentum, but once it starts it remains just as good as the other two books in the series. If you enjoy adventure and action then this series is definitely worth reading. You also shouldn't be to intimidated by the size of this series either as the books are actually fairly quick reads.

The Edge of the World

The Edge of the World by Kevin J Anderson, 578 pages

The two nations of Tierra and Uraba are connected by thin piece of land on which rests the holy city of Ishalem, a place of worship and pilgrimage for both. When the holy city is burned to ground it sparks a war between the two great nations. In the years after the fire both nations both set out to fill the blank parts of the map, each seeking allies and knowledge to use against each other in what is destined to be a long war full of atrocities by both sides.
While this book is just under six hundred pages it is actually a fairly quick read with fast paced plot and characters that we actually grow to care about. It also helps that he switches view points between characters so that we get to see why and how events are misinterpreted and how one persons actions cause something terrible to happen. What I enjoyed most about this book though is the depth that Anderson gives his characters as well as the attention he pays to creating their different cultures and beliefs as well as the overall theme of exploration and expanding ones knowledge