A. Avraham Perlmutter Ph. D.

With incredible visual additions such as genuine photographs and documentation from the wartime and beyond, Mr. Perlmutter has crafted a no-hold account of his life during WW11 and after.

His memoirs does not emphasizes on the gruesome atrocities committed by the Nazis but rather focuses on the survival of one young man and how he made a successful life for himself in Israel and in the United States after the war. His account touches on some of the people who orchestrated his various escape or hid him from the Nazis. It is an important story that tells how determined even at a young age the need to survive by taking risks and keep pushing the limits in order to succeed.

The first part of the book focusses on the kindness and generosity he experienced during the war and the multiple miracles that allowed him to survive. The rest of the book concentrates on what happened after the war.

This moving story is unique both in content and in tone. His personal journey with detailed descriptions gives us a glimpse of his adventurous life filled with danger and risks and evokes the feeling of compassion as you walk in the shoes of a brilliant young man determined to survive.

Although the book is a quick read it is also one difficult to follow. The narrative has a plethora of people to keep track of with names hard to remember. The timeline is inconsistent and all over the place for most part till it found a better rhythm then the words flowed at a steady and even pace. It is a bit of a choppy account but having said this, I nevertheless say that Mr. Perlmutter has an amazing memory to have given so many details while providing many photos and documents to support his words.… (more)

The most remarkable thing to me was how much research had been done not only on the author's family and genealogy but also on the people who had helped him during those years. He often put who had been where or died where or if they had survived.

I found the story interesting, but I'm not sure I found anything particularly special about his story compared to other memoirs on this subject that I have read. I'm not sure I'd recommend reading it unless one is keen on WWII memoirs or if one is researching someone listed in this book.… (more)

I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Avraham (Av) Perlmutter is an amazing man. As a young man his mother put him and his sister on a train, part of the Kindertransport, and sent them to the Netherlands. It was the last time he would ever see his mother. He and his sister were shipped from one refuge camp to another. Eventually they would be separated. What is so amazing about this man is his attitude. He was determined to survive like so many other Jews. He lived life to the fullest. This book is his story of survival, perseverance, ad hope. Multiple times Av had run into Germans. Most of them were with the Nazis. Many were caught up in something they wanted no part of, but had no choice in. As Av moved from one safe house to another he found may Christians who were willing to put their own lives on the line for the welfare of the Jews. In this book he speaks highly of those people. He tells of how they hid him. I was amazed at how much he thirsted for knowledge. In one instance he asked the man hiding him to get him textbooks where he taught himself English, French and Spanish. After being liberated he wanted to do more. He fought in the war that created the State of Israel. He was reunited with his sister who had survived a death march. He wanted to further his education so he moved to the United States. He was not satisfied with just one degree. He holds multiple degrees as do his children. This man has done more for mankind. I found it interesting that one of his goals was for he and some of his friends to meet Albert Einstein. He set out to reach that goal and actually accomplished it.

Want an inspiring book to read? This is definitely the book you must read. It is quick, only taking me two hours to complete. This is not only a great book for adults and for the classroom shelf, it makes a great resource for students. This one I highly recommend.… (more)

review I am so honored to have received this story for review. There is something about World War II and the Holocaust that is of interest to me. There is so much sadness that follows that time and I am inspired by the story of survival and overcoming tragedy. You get to see the Avraham in many roles and get a great overview of him as a whole person, not just parts of him. He is amazing, heroic...successful in life and sharing his story. This book has everything one needs to really understand what happened during that time, with pictures and documents (which add so much to this amazing story). I am so grateful that he has has shared his story with all of us! Thank you Avraham, so very much. 5 stars… (more)