When the World Closed Its Doors: Struggling to Escape Nazi-occupied Europe

I couldn't put this book down. I have read quite a few books on the Holocaust and watched the major movies, but I never really felt the connection with an ordinary person living an ordinary life being thrust into extraordinary circumstances like this book has done. While reading, I was imagining myself being awakened by bombs on my wedding night and forced to make the unbelievably difficult decisions made by Ida, Morris and their families in Antwerp, Belgium. I also never really "got" that the US had rejected Jewish immigrants to the degree described in this book. I don't recall ever seeing a movie that addresses this issue and think that one needs to be made. I don't recall the US ever apologizing either...it seems like this is a piece of the Holocaust story that has been overlooked: that of the refugees who tried to get out and the countries that refused to help. The monoprints made by Ida in the 1980's as a first step to telling her story are also quite extraordinary; now I'm curious about monoprinting and wish I could see someone actually doing it. It's hard to imagine how one could get so much detail with the process! It could not have been easy to recall such horrible memories for Ida Piller-Greenspan and Susan Branting does an able job at moving the narrative along and maintaining the sense of urgency that Ida and Morris must have felt during their year+ ordeal. I am deeply grateful for this account. I believe these stories of ordinary individuals are priceless reminders of that horrible time and, as Peter Rose writes in his introduction, each provides a "small part in the overall catastrophe."

A great story with very expressive and well chosen prints by the author which encourage the dark but ultimately uplifting tale. As it's quite a short book the end comes a little to soon for my liking, but I hope that the author will consider making a mid-quel to add to the story. Fingers crossed...:-)