Customer Reviews

Haven

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Haven tells the story of how photojournalist, Ruth Gruber, assisted 1,000 refugees from 18 different countries, to travel from Italy to Oswego, New York in 1944. She was chosen by Secretary of the Interior, Harold L. Ickes, due to her intelligence (she was the youngest person to receive a doctorate degree in Germany), her Jewish heritage, language capabilities, experience overseas in the Soviet Arctic, and her sensitivity. She was made a general so that if she were captured, the Geneva Convention rules would require that she be kept alive.

While crossing the Atlantic on the Henry Gibbins, she encountered the sting of prejudice from the wounded American soldiers, (some who hated the fact that Jews took the place of their buddies who could have been on the ship) and amongst the refugees themselves. Nazi planes and U-boats threatened the ship as well. Throughout the voyage, Gruber earned trust from its occupants, photographed them and wrote down their horrifying stories of Nazi persecution and their will to survive.

Once at Oswego, she continued to fight for the refugees as their advocate. Their legal status was the biggest question. Gruber made it possible for them to choose to remain in the United States, once the war was over.

The conclusion of the book offers a list of the refugees with brief descriptions of their lives, after WWII. It's sad to read that many could never emotionally recover from the years of abuse they suffered.

This book reads more like a novel than non-fiction. Gruber's personal insight and writing style makes this a very approachable book for teens to read. It would make fine supplemental reading to students of WWII and the Holocaust. This previously little known, true story is also an important read to gain understanding of current events in Israel and Palestine. The television mini-series, Haven, starring Natasha Richardson, is available on VHS. Also recommended is another one of Gruber's books, Exodus 1947, which continues the postwar story of the displaced Jew's search for a country to call home.

I have had the good fortune to meet Ms. Gruber at the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust. She is in her 80's, and still speaks eloquently of her experiences.

First, I agree with the others' commentary. It is a powerful recollection of history, and also provokes thought of the strength that our ancestors had when they left their homeland and immigrated to the U.S. - for only the chance of a better life. These people were also fleeing towards the glimpse of a future.

This story also hits home in another way. I live only three short blocks from Fort Ontario, Oswego, New York where this all took place. Before I read this book, the park at "the fort" was just that, a park with some historical significance from the "War of 1812," where I would walk my dog, watch the famous Lake Ontario sunsets or just sit and take in the harbor views. It is an unfortunate irony that this story is barely part of local lore - while it is a testimony to the Oswego community of present as well.

If anyone is interested, I have digital photos of "the Fort" and of other locations in the book. I would be happy to email any pictures. If there is a specific location someone would like to see to gain a better perspective of the book, drop me an email at northguy@aol.com

For Now - From Oswego...

I happened to almost fall upon this book and I am so glad that I did. This book speaks to everyone who has a heart. It is the story of 982 refugees brought to America during World War II. Ruth Gruber tells the stories of these refugees in such a way that the reader feels as if they are with her on her journey. The impact these refugees have had on the history of the United States is profound. So profound, that it is important to read about their struggles in becoming part of this nation. Something that many of us take for granted. My life has been changed as a result of reading this book, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Earlier this year, I went to see a screening of the CBS miniseries based off this book. Ruth Gruber, the author, eloquently spoke, as did New York Senator Chuck Schumer. The senator said that Mrs. Gruber's "valiance" was "enormous." One would have an incredible amount of trouble disagreeing with that. Similarly, the brilliance of "Haven," a reflection on Mrs. Gruber's efforts during the Second World War to assist 1,000 European Jewish immigrants come to America and then live here successfuly, is enormous. The language is humble but immensely warming. The beauty of the writing is only overcome by the power of the story. This book should be read. It deserves to be read, not just by those who are interested in the Holocaust or the history of American Jews, but by all Americans.

Ruth Gruber tells the story of the less than 1,000 Jewish refugees taken in by the United States during World War II, and the amazingly warm acceptance and appreciation of the New York community in which they were placed. The story of this immigrant experience and the richness of their gifts to this country are inspiring and must-read tales, without being preachy or boring. Everyone I know who has read this book has ordered a copy to share with others. This is a wonderful book!

A poignant, true-life story of a woman ahead of her time, willing to risk her life and put herself in danger to save Jewish refugees. If you saw the tv series and were less than impressed with Natasha Richardson's performance, do yourself a favor and read the book. It tells a riveting story and you won't regret reading it. By the way,if you did see the tv series, the real Gruber has a cameo appearance as an immigrant, with a scarf tied around her head, smiling up at Natasha Richardson, who played Gruber in the film. Just a bit of trivia.

Be critical of something that is politically, rather than artistically, correct. This is not a bad book. But it is not as wonderful is described. Though she tries to build a sense of uncertainty, we know they get to stay. So the suspense is phony. The endless name-dropping and self-congratulation are wearying and add little. (When I was having lunch with Golda...OK, enough!)

But the interesting aspect of this story is the battle between law and guts. When the law says one thing, but the heart another, every "reasonable person" believes law should be cast aside when it is inconvenient. We had laws about immigration during this time, and the author and her fawning readers know that their worthy needs should trump those laws. But then what is the point of law? If it is just a guideline, something that applies to others, but in my case, where the need is great, it should be ignored, then what does law mean. I really need my two pair to beat your full house? Those who said "We have existing law, and it means something" are treated as cold-hearted fools and naive thugs. Even Truman, when announcing the refugees could stay (all of whom signed an agreement saying they would be repatriated after the war) allowed them to stay at the expense of others. The were applied to the existing quotas.

Now I'm not saying they should not have been allowed to stay, nor that we were amiss in not saving more. I wish we had rescued millions; the world and the US would be a better place if we had. I am saying that if the law is treated as an inconvenience and an impediment, we get...well, we get what we have now, where we all feel free to make it up for ourselves as needed.

Ruth Gruber writes with the same poise with which she speaks, from the heart! The simplicity of her text somehow magically draws one into the times about which she writes. She writes about difficult subjects yet it is impossible to put down her books. I've been devouring them all.

This is a must-read book that uses letters and journals to highlight the experiences of WWII refugees escaping Nazi Europe. At times heartbreaking, this book is also an inspiring testimony to the ability of individuals to rise above adversity and form community.

This is the story of the rescue of one- thousand Jewish refugees from the death they would have suffered at the hands of the Nazis. It is written by an American- born woman Ruth Gruber who was appointed by the Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes to accompany the refugees and help them wherever possible. Gruber who already was a known writer and photojournalist proved to be a lion- hearted defender of the refugees. In part it was her work which made it possible for them to stay in the United States and resettle there after the war.
Gruber shows great courage and determination, and human sympathy in her relation to the refugees. She interviews and speaks with them and tells their often heartbreaking stories.
Behind the difficulty of their entering the U.S. and being allowed to stay is another story. That of the hundreds of thousands of Jews who might have lived had the doors been open.