Max's War
The Story of a Ritchie Boy
-
-
4.5 • 2 Ratings
-
-
- $7.99
-
- $7.99
Publisher Description
As the Nazis sweep across Europe, Jewish teen Max and his parents flee German persecution to Holland, where Max finds true friends and a life-altering romance.
But when Hitler invades, Max escapes to Chicago, leaving his parents and friends behind. When he learns of his parents' deportation and murder, Max immediately enlists in the US Army.
After basic training he is sent to Camp Ritchie, Maryland, where he is trained in interrogation and counterintelligence.
Deployed to the OSS, Max carries out dangerous missions behind enemy lines. He also interrogates scores of German POWs, especially during D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge, where, despite life-threatening conditions, he elicits critical information about German troop movements.
Post-war, he works for the Americans in the German De-nazification program, bringing him back to his Bavarian childhood home of Regensburg. Though the city avoided large-scale destruction, the Jewish community has been decimated.
Filled with sadness, Max roams familiar yet strange streets, replaying memories of lives lost to unspeakable tragedy. He doubts he can ever forgive the Germans. While in Regensburg, however, he reunites with someone from his past, who, like him, sought refuge abroad. Can they learn to forgive and rebuild their lives together?
This epic story about a Ritchie Boy is Libby Hellmann’s tribute to her late father-in-law who was active with the OSS and interrogated dozens of German POWs.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this meticulously researched historical thriller, Hellmann (the Georgia Davis series) follows Jewish teen Max Steiner from Europe to America and back again as he lives through the horrors of WWII. In 1932 Regensburg, Germany, schoolboy Max observes the seeds of Nazism beginning to take root across the country. He flees with his family to Holland in 1936. Four years later, when Hitler invades the Netherlands, Max leaves his family for the U.S., where he lands in Chicago. Shortly after he arrives, Max gets word his parents have been killed by the Nazis, so he enlists in the U.S. Army to avenge their deaths. In 1942, he's assigned to Camp Ritchie, a secret training site in rural Maryland near the Pennsylvania border. There, Max and his fellow German-speaking U.S. soldiers are trained in the art of interrogation, counterintelligence, and psychological warfare, skills that Max taps into when he's deployed overseas to interrogate German POWs and go undercover in occupied territories. Meanwhile, he nurses a crush on a girl he met in Holland before the war began. Hellman expertly marries heaps of historical detail with a thoughtful illustration of the dangers of nationalism. This ranks with the author's best work. (Self-published)
Customer Reviews
A story hard to forget…
I am surprised by this book in the fact that I felt I was there throughout Max’s life. I know it’s a story inspired by true events, but it felt so real at times. Made for a good read and not one I will forget. If you enjoy historical fiction, I would highly recommend this book. I also look forward to more historical titles by this author.
I voluntarily received and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.
Final Rating: 5 Stars
Max's War
What a great story. An excellent plot with interesting characters. I was totally involved into the story and the emotions of what they were going thru. A winner for the author..
Highly recommended. Releases. April 9, 2024