This is a fascinating book. Much in the same way that reading the works of Klemperer or Levi makes you think about economics during wartime and the predicament of those subjugated by a ruling party, this book was thought provoking and intriguing.

I've always been interested in how people survive and perform in unusual and tense situations and this book gives a good history on what that was like for a Jewish businessman during the Nazi period. This is not told from a dry, historical perspective but instead involves the reader in the world during this period. I was impressed by how easy it was to keep reading and that it never lost my interest throughout.

This would be a good book to choose if you love history but are not interested in the more academic, boring accounts. Although serious in subject matter, this story is told with wit and just the right amount of humour. This is a book that I happily recommend to others.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from Netgalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

This is an extraordinary story. There are, tragically, all too many stories about the fate of Jews under the Nazis, and all too many stories of Jewish property being expropriated and looted. But this fascinating family tale is a little different for in this one the targeted Jewish entrepreneur Isay Rottenberg actually fought back and for a while at least managed to hold on to his cigar factory in Germany. The family knew very little about this history until they saw a call in Amsterdam for claims for stolen or confiscated property and realised that their grandfather’s factory was on the list. Two of his granddaughters immediately set out to research the factory and uncovered an amazing tale of determination and fortitude on the part of their grandfather – something he never talked about. A powerful and inspiring family memoir.

This was a really fascinating look back at a fascinating man; Isay's story is one of great importance, in my opinion, and his grand-daughters do a remarkable job in piecing together Isay's history. This is a story that I hope is seen and read by many.

I am thankful his grand-daughters were moved, collectively, to play detective and piece together this remarkable narrative. 5 stars

Sandra and Hella Rottenberg have written a comprehensive memoir about their grandfather Isay Rottenberg, who for a short time, (1932-1934), was the owner of Deutsche Zigarren-Werke, the only mechanized cigar factory in Germany. Unfortunately for Isay, he lost the factory with the rise of the Nazis.

Amsterdam was actually home for Isay when he bought the factory, and it would always be home for the Rottenbergs, Isay,his wife Lena, and his children, Alfred, Edwin and Toni. They survived the war, and Isay went into a new business, manufacturing straws. Isay never spoke of the cigar factory after the war.

When Sandra and Hella, cousins, and Isay’s granddaughters, were informed that perhaps, they were entitled to reparations for losses their grandfather may have incurred at the hands of the Nazis, they decided to investigate the details of Isay’s life before the war. They recalled hearing talk of a cigar factory in Germany, so they decided to do some research. They found a part of their grandfather’s life they knew nothing about: he owned a cigar factory in Dobëin Germany!

Dobëln, was the center of cigar manufacturing Germany. Isay’s factory employed 670 people, had American made machines, and was capable of pumping out more than 60 million cigars per year. This seems like a huge number of cigars, and, I personally was shocked by this number! But it is true.

Although Isay lost his investment in the cigar factory, it was not without a fierce battle Isay tried everything, and the Nazis did not intimidate him. However, in the end, the Nazis would never accept having a Dutch Jew owning the only mechanized cigar manufacturing factory in Germany.

This book is a fascinating read. I knew it would be! Sandra and Hella have done an incredible job. Thank you and for my copy of in return for my honest review. .

I was fascinated to learn of a Jewish man who had a factory in Germany during WW2. Though much is written about wartime in Europe, this is a unique story tracked down by the grandchildren of Isay Rottenberg. They did a superb job of researching and tracking down each and every clue, since that were never told that he had this factory. That was the generation that did not tell secrets to children and grandchildren so they were left with a mystery to solve. The book includes their extensive research and their fears and relief as they considered their grandfather's personality and just why he would have such an attachment to Germany. And of course we read this book with the advantage of hindsight so the reader must try and imagine what it was like to be in this situation. Issay Rottenberg was a tough guy who seemed determined to push through everything. At what cost to his family, one cannot say, but he was a man out to succeed. Much admiration for the authors of this book for putting it all together. There are a lot of names, places, events, that will be unfamiliar to the American reader, but the back matter is helpful and the reader could go as deep as they wanted or simply read it on a more surface level for the story.