A Ritchie Boy

Initially I was unable to read the ARC, but thanks to an incredibly kind editor, I received a paper copy.

This is based on the stories of the author’s father and his stirring experience as the Nazis gained power and forced him from his home. It has amazing parallels to the story of my husband’s family. I was especially moved by the forced emigration from family and property to America.

It is inspirational to see how someone so displaced could become part of the war effort. His patriotism and allegiance to his new country is sadly lacking in this difficult time.

It is heartwarming to hear Eli’s tales, beautifully interpreted by his daughter. If this intrigues you as a reader, you might be interested in the LEO BAECK INSTITUTE in NYC. It houses a magnificent collection of German Jewish history. I included all our documents. This book will most certainly be added to their collection.

Thank you Netgalley and Caitlin Hamilton for this opportunity.

New Country, New Life

A story of immigrants from Hitler’s horrors. How events led up to the point that one Jewish family in Vienna decided it was time to leave and started looking for ways to immigrate somewhere beyond Hitler’s reach. Lila, Bart and their son Eli with the help of Lila's friend Zelda immigrated to America finally ending up in Columbus, Ohio.

They struggle to find jobs and. earn a living, but finally make a life for themselves. Fast forward several years and now Eli is attending the University. Although Hitler’s horrors started before Eli’s family immigrated to the United States, the war was just beginning for the U.S. with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. As the war progresses and Eli reaches draft age he is drafted into the Army. Because he speaks both German and American, he is sent to Camp Richie to learn to be an interrogator and interrogate captured German soldiers.

The story follows Eli, his family and their friends throughout their lives as immigrants learning to live and love in their new country. Learning to assimilate into the U.S. while still keeping a few Jewish traditions alive. They must learn to adapt to clothing, language, social interactions and a work in iron end very different that what they were accustomed to. The transition was hard, especially for the adults, but the embraced their new country and became Americans.

This is an amazing story of a boy persecuted by the Germans who escapes from the to another country then comes back to fight against his persecutors. This book is rich in the history of the immigrant experience and the history of the Richie boys which I had never heard before. I would recommend this book.

Thanks to Linda Kass, She Write Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of the book in return for an honest review.

In A Ritchie Boy, Linda Kass tells the story of Austrian and Polish Jews lucky enough to escape Europe, first for New York or Shanghai, and then for the American Midwest. Readers looking for tragic lives and horrifying deaths in concentration camps will need to look elsewhere. Readers looking for a small dose of rising anti-Jewish sentiment and an uplifting story of selfless aid to those in need, cultural acclimation, determination, and strong friendships and families will have found the perfect read. Although surprised by the author’s approach at a time when much more suspenseful and gut-wrenching World War II fiction is all the rage, I found this low-key and warm story a welcome change.

The book opens with Eli Stoff, 93, in a retirement community, a widower eagerly awaiting the weekly mass arrival of his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. After their departure and before an afternoon bridge game, Eli is surprised to find a letter from Farmington Hills, Michigan’s Holocaust Memorial Center among his usual bills and junk mail. As he learns of the planned 75th anniversary reunion of the Army intelligence team with which he served during World War II, he pulls out an old photo-filled box and begins to review his life.

Written as a series of incidents scattered throughout Eli’s life and now revived by the photos, A Ritchie Boy recounts the lives of Jewish refugees and of the childhood friends and strangers who made life enjoyable, bearable, or possible along the way. Since this was the first time I had heard about the Ritchie Boys, I would have liked to have learned more. However, the account of Eli’s friendships with his fellow soldiers at Camp Ritchie, Hagerstown, Maryland, and the lesson Eli learned from his interrogation of a young German soldier are all readers need to learn for the story Kass wants to tell. I also hoped the story would return to the elderly Eli, but by rereading the first chapter after completing the last, I was satisfied with the ending.

A Ritchie Boy is a gentle story growing out of a horrifying historical period. It’s the story of how we as Americans and as humans can be our best through compassion, commitment, appreciation, and love.
Although the story of Eli Stoff, his friends, and extended family is fictional, Kass dedicates her novel to the memory of her father, a Richie boy, who inspired her.

My thanks to NetGalley, She Writes Press, and Linda Kass for the advance reader copy.