50 Children, Steven Pressman
50 Children, Steven Pressman
List: $21.99 | Sale: $15.39
Club: $10.99

50 Children
One Ordinary American Couple's Extraordinary Rescue Mission into the Heart of Nazi Germany

Author: Steven Pressman

Narrator: Robert Fass

Unabridged: 8 hr 38 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 04/22/2014


Synopsis

Based on the acclaimed HBO documentary, the astonishing true story of how one American couple transported fifty Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Austria to America in 1939—the single largest group of unaccompanied refugee children allowed into the United States—for readers of In the Garden of Beasts and A Train in Winter.In early 1939, America's rigid immigration laws made it virtually impossible for European Jews to seek safe haven in the United States. As deep-seated anti-Semitism and isolationism gripped much of the country, neither President Roosevelt nor Congress rallied to their aid.Yet one brave Jewish couple from Philadelphia refused to silently stand by. Risking their own safety, Gilbert Kraus, a successful lawyer, and his stylish wife, Eleanor, traveled to Nazi-controlled Vienna and Berlin to save fifty Jewish children. Steven Pressman brought the Kraus's rescue mission to life in his acclaimed HBO documentary, 50 Children. In this book, he expands upon the story related in the hour-long film, offering additional historical detail and context to offer a rich, full portrait of this ordinary couple and their extraordinary actions.Drawing from Eleanor Kraus's unpublished memoir, rare historical documents, and interviews with more than a dozen of the surviving children, and illustrated with period photographs, archival materials, and memorabilia, 50 Children is a remarkable tale of personal courage and triumphant heroism that offers a fresh, unique insight into a critical period of history.

About Steven Pressman

Steven Pressman was a magazine and newspaper journalist for more than thirty years. He is the author of Outrageous Betrayal: The Dark Journey of Werner Erhard from est to Exile, and the writer, director, and producer of the HBO documentary film 50 Children: The Rescue Mission of Mr. and Mrs. Kraus.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Heidi on December 01, 2016

Extraordinary and true story about how Gil and Eleanor Kraus saved fifty Jewish children from the Nazi Holocaust. I watched the HBO documentary after I read this and, though similar and emotionally powerful, I enjoyed the book more because it provides a detailed history for each child (that Pressman......more

Goodreads review by Lisa on May 29, 2014

Apologies to those who have been waiting for my review of this book. I’m not up for writing a thorough review, but I hope my impressions are useful to you, especially regarding deciding whether or not this book is for you. I found the account gripping and suspenseful, even though the reader knows fro......more

Goodreads review by Julia on March 03, 2016

I did not like this book, but not because of the subject matter. I thought it was written in a very "matter of fact" manner with out any emotion. I would like to read more about rescued children, but from a different author.......more

Goodreads review by Steven on August 12, 2014

One of the most controversial aspects of the Nazi Holocaust against the Jews during World War II is whether the United States could have been done more to rescue the eventual victims of this genocide. Historians have pointed to the lack of sympathy for the plight of Jews or the outright anti-Semitis......more

Goodreads review by Gail on July 06, 2014

Truly amazing how little the "immigration" debate has changed from the 1930's to the present. Just change the ethnicity of whatever group some Americans want to keep outside our borders and this book is almost like reading about the city in CA that blocked buses filled with children. I don't really w......more