I spent my childhood and adolescence among a diverse community of refugees from different countries. One thing we all had in common was the Holocaust. As I listened to the stories and whispered conversations of my parents and their friends, I became privy to extraordinary tales of rescue and resistance, murder and betrayal, love and loss, courage and unrivaled heroism. As a child, I was frequently awakened by my mother’s nightmares, which were always focused on the same theme—she was running for her life with no possibility of escape. I knew I would someday write about it. After my mother’s death, I translated her secret journal and discovered some startling revelations. It provided the impetus for the characters: Irena and Marek, as well as the inspiration for NOWHERE TO RUN, set in Poland, Ukraine, Italy and Germany spanning the years 1939 to 1950.

Part I of my narrative reveals what happens to two young people when hatred and bigotry spin out of control. Part II reveals their plight as refugees forced to languish in Displaced Persons camps when they seek asylum. The alarming rise of antisemitism, racism and violence as well as the worldwide increase in refugee migration makes my story especially relevant and compelling today. 

Every Holocaust story is unique in its own way but this coming-of-age tale is filled with unexpected twists and turns. Few novels about this period encompass both the horrors of the holocaust and the repercussions survivors faced after liberation. NOWHERE TO RUN, based on real people and actual events, continues the protagonists’ journey into the bleak aftermath of war. Amid struggles to find a safe refuge in Palestine, Irena and Marek yearn for a home and a chance to rebuild their lives. Instead, they spend years in foreign Displaced Person’s Camps mired in immigration politics. 

Evocative of the plight of current refugees in conflict ridden areas around the world, this novel is apropos for today’s discerning readers. Public interest in education about the Holocaust is increasing as the number of primary witnesses dwindles and antisemitism, historical revisionism and the distortion of facts about the most widespread genocide in twentieth century history grows more virulent. A historical novel based on a true story about young people who resist and fight back against their Nazi tormentors with boldness, sabotage and pure determination—yet also manage to fall in love and help rescue others—is inspiring and can supplement current material in school curriculums.