Libby Fischer Hellmann

This story has been told often: Hitler becomes stronger and bolder, creeping across Europe and destroying everything in his path, starting in Germany. Nobody believes it at first, because it is unbelievable and because it happens bit by bit, step by step. Suddenly the Jews (and other undesirables, anyone in the way of Hitler’s perfect world) realize they haven’t only been marginalized, they’ve been pushed aside, pushed away, unfathomably harshly dealt with, found unworthy of the basic necessities of life itself - discarded. Yes, we’ve heard this story before, but it never loses its potency. And in the always strong, capable, and excellent hands of author Libby Fischer Hellmann it comes fully alive and feels personal and unique.

WW2 is Hellmann’s forte. In Max’s War she perfectly captures the befuddlement of the German Jews. This cannot be happening to them. They are Germans. Good Germans. They contribute to society. They run businesses. They perform their civic duties. They are good citizens. So they are unwilling and unable to accept what is right before them, what is happening to them, even though it’s obvious and the end is inevitable. They search far too long for an explanation, for a way to fix this, to belong once again when it’s now apparent that that will never happen again.

Max’s mother wants the family to leave Germany and go to America as soon as the persecution starts, even securing papers for them so they can travel. But his father believes she’s overreacting, that the current state of the nation can’t last much longer and things will return to normal. Meanwhile, little by little they are shunned by old friends, lose business and Max is forced to change schools. It’s not until his father is arrested and imprisoned for a time that he finally agrees they must leave their home. America is no longer an option, so they resettle in Holland. His close friend and first love Renée and her family have already emigrated to Shanghai.

Things are good in Holland for a while. Max’s father is back in business, his mother is active in women’s groups, and Max makes friends at school. He misses Renée but it seems that was not meant to be. He meets Annaliese and once again his heart is full. But Hitler’s march stops for no one, and Holland is in his path. Max joins the resistance and vows he and Annaliese will use those papers he mother obtained years ago and go to America. But disaster strikes and Max barely escapes. His parents refuse to leave, citing his father’s illness as the reason. Max finds himself in Chicago with family and tries to make a life for himself as a mechanic. When Max learns of his parents’ deaths in Holland at the hands of the Nazis, he enlists in the US Army, determined to do whatever he can to stop this insanity. What has to this point been a heartbreaking story of one family’s struggle now becomes even more intense and fascinating thanks to author Hellmann’s meticulous research and attention to detail.

After basic training Max is sent to Camp Ritchie, Maryland, where he is trained in interrogation and counterintelligence and becomes a “Ritchie Boy.” The Ritchie Boys were a special collection of soldiers, with sizable numbers of German-Austrian recruits, who were used primarily for interrogation of prisoners on the front lines and counterintelligence in Europe because of their knowledge of the German language and culture. As a Ritchie Boy Max makes a difference many times over.

The story follows Max through the end of the war and his return to Germany in his work for the Americans in the German denazification program. How will that feel? Will anyone he knew as that young boy who left years ago still be there? Still be alive? Will it feel like home, or is his home – and heart – now in America?

Max’s War is a stunning portrayal of the horror, struggles, danger and despair for all those good souls who suffered and were victimized. And it is also the story of the perseverance and determination of a young boy who becomes a strong, determined man. I was completely drawn into the story and couldn’t put it down. I recommend it without hesitation. Libby Fischer Hellmann is always a disciplined, excellent, satisfying author and Max’s War is a brilliant example of that. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.… (mehr)