A review by shlivernois
Haven: The Dramatic Story of 1,000 World War II Refugees and How They Came to America by Ruth Gruber, Dava Sobel

4.0

This was an amazing story and I'm very proud to say that the people in my neck of the woods, Northern New York, were the ones to welcome Jewish refugees into their city during World War II. I actually visited Fort Ontario, which served as their haven, this summer, and was so moved by the story--which I was not even aware of--that I picked up this book. For one, I am inspired by Ruth Gruber's bravery and passion as a young woman, venturing alone to help 1,000 Holocaust refugees take shelter here, then watching over them during their stay, and fighting for them to remain in America. Secondly, the refugees' story is heartbreaking, but still an inspirational story about the capacity of the human spirit to endure anything. I enjoyed Gruber's writing style, too. Very simple and straightforward, but emotional at the same time.