Irmas passport: one woman, two world wars, and a legacy of courage
Title of the book: Irmas passport: one woman, two world wars, and a legacy of courage Author: Catherine Ehrlich
Publisher: She Writes Press (SWP)
Publishing Date: 2021
ISBN: 978-1-64742-305-6
Summary:
Inspired to learn languages by her multi-lingual Austrian grandmother, Irma, the author seeks the wellsprings of Irma’s indomitable spirit. By delving into the late Irma’s extraordinary memoirs, shared in this book, she explores her outspoken grandparents’ influential lives at the crossroads of German and Jewish national movements. Along the way, she uncovers a deep heritage of empowered women.
Golden-haired Irma grew up in Imperial Austria believing that wars and prejudice were fading. Her journey from Bohemian country girl to grande dame in New York would traverse a fascinating landscape of renowned people at pivotal moments in history, captured in her memoirs. Irma studied languages as one of the first female university students in Prague while her cousin, Franz Kafka, was there. Her marriage after World War I to influential Zionist Jakob Ehrlich, sole Jewish representative on Vienna’s city council, placed her at the crossroads of German and Jewish nationalism at a fateful time. Irma would leave Vienna with her son under the calculating watch of arch-Nazi Adolf Eichmann and find her voice among a dazzling world of power elites, including British parliamentarians, Chaim Weizmann (first president of Israel), and unsung female philanthropists. Seeking an unencumbered life for her son, she would move on to New York and a career devoted to resettling refugees. The author, Irma’s granddaughter, blends Irma’s vibrant chronicles into a riveting narrative of history, heritage, and adaptation. Part personal memoir, part historical drama, Irma’s Passport is ultimately a tribute to human dignity, in which one woman can restore the lives of many and courage is a victory in itself.
(From goodreads)
Catherine Ehrlich is a nonfiction writer. Trained as an Asian linguist (University of Michigan) and diplomat (Johns Hopkins SAIS), she has been a trade representative, interpreter, public relations executive, and marketing consultant in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan as well as New York, Washington DC, and Seattle.
Irma's Passport is the culmination of six years of research and writing focused on the true story behind her grandmother's testimonial memoirs.
There is a lot for me to love about Irmas passport, and plenty that I already do. what I love about this memoir are details of Austria and life there before and during Hitler occupied it. I also loved the firsthand witness account of start of ww1 and ww2, and that it had realistic helpers when it came to getting Irma and her son out of Europe. The tale is also political ( who gets out first that is,) and details two amazing and extraordinary individuals who were protectors and did the best they could. In other words, it's definitely a highly recommended treasure trove of information whether about different types Jews or Austria or mechanisms and bureaucracy during ww2.
This was given for review
4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
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