Running from Home

Running from Home chronicles Rita's flight from the Nazis as it was perceived by a young child. The sense of bewilderment, loss of home, and suffering from hunger and cold create an indelible mark upon her mind and do not leave when she eventually comes to America. Raised in different cultures, she never feels at home but is always the outsider, trying to reconcile her old life and experiences with her new surroundings. Her youth and adolescence are assaulted by the demons that have been imprinted on her young brain. Furthermore, Rita's father suffers from his own demons: financial insecurity, disenfranchisement, and constant poverty serve to reestablish her old fears and sense of loss. For Rita, the war is not over when the peace treaties have been signed. For more information, please see www.ritabross.com.

ISBN 0761845623   Pages 230 ISBN13 9780761845621 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher University Press of America   Weight (grammes) 381 Imprint Hamilton Books   Published in Lanham, MD Format Paperback   Height (mm) 232 Publication date 16 Aug 2009   Width (mm) 154 DEWEY 940.5318092   Spine width (mm) 18 DEWEY edition DC22   Academic level General

Chapter 1 Acknowledgements Chapter 2 Prologue Part 3 Part One - Running Chapter 4 1. Good-Bye Chapter 5 2. Heil Hitler Chapter 6 3. Alex Chapter 7 4. Freda Chapter 8 5. Vienna Chapter 9 6. Parting Chapter 10 7. Poland Chapter 11 8. The Farm Chapter 12 9. The Sardines Chapter 13 10. Jew Girl Chapter 14 11. The Visit Chapter 15 12. Trip to Karakow Chapter 16 13. On the Run Chapter 17 14. Freezing Chapter 18 15. The Ghetto Chapter 19 16. Into the Dark Woods Chapter 20 17. Prison Chapter 21 18. The Journey Chapter 22 19. A Normal Childhood in a Mental Hospital Chapter 23 20. School Chapter 24 21. Merry Christmas Chapter 25 22. Denial Chapter 26 23. Leaving Liebenau Chapter 27 24. News Chapter 28 25. The Long Train Ride Chapter 29 26. Refugee Chapter 30 27. First Stop Chapter 31 28. Second Leg of Our Journey Chapter 32 29. Victor Chapter 33 30. The Gripsholm Part 34 Part Two - Immigrant Girl Chapter 35 31. Ellis Island Chapter 36 32. Reunion Chapter 37 33. Interlude Chapter 38 34. 516 West 188th Street Chapter 39 35. Tovah Chapter 40 36. Yetta Chapter 41 37. Camp Chapter 42 38. The Sacred and the Profane Chapter 43 39. Unemployment Chapter 44 40. A Battle of Wills Chapter 45 41. Dancing Chapter 46 42. Growing Pains Chapter 47 43. Tenth Summer Chapter 48 44. Miss Weinstein Chapter 49 45. Michael Chapter 50 46. The Past Comes Calling Chapter 51 47. Music Lessons Chapter 52 48. The Gift Chapter 53 49. Breaking Point Chapter 54 50. Rescue Chapter 55 51. Teenager Chapter 56 52. Hope Chapter 57 53. A Glimpse of the Promised Land Chapter 58 54. Music and Art Chapter 59 55. Thanksgiving 1951 Chapter 60 56. Odd Girl Out Chapter 61 57. My School Chapter 62 58. Opening Doors Chapter 63 59. Chameleon Chapter 64 60. A Cold and Empty House Chapter 65 61. Forest Hills Chapter 66 62. The Dress Chapter 67 63. Dating Jewish Chapter 68 64. Leaving Paradise Chapter 69 Epilogue

A deeply insightful memoir, skillfully written and, at times, painfully honest in depicting a child's terror created by anti-Semitism, the loss of loved ones and years of running away. Unlike other stories of survival, this account helps those of us, fortunate not to have lived during the Holocaust, to understand the horror, the fortitude, the courage required as well as the lasting impact of these events on the lives of those who lived through them. -- Rabbi Neil S. Cooper, Ross writes in a compelling narrative voice that conveys childlike innocence and honesty while unflinchingly describing acts of ineffable cruelty. Her style gives the story an immediacy that draws the reader into the world of the child who struggles to understand the events of her life. Running from Home speaks eloquently of the fragility of life while also celebrating the resiliency of the human spirit. -- Patricia Sack The remarkable story details her family's 7-year-journey to elude capture, from the time of the Vienna Anschluss to the war's end, assuming false identities and eventually arriving at Ellis Island, with yet another unexpected and poignant twist. -- World Jewish Congress Foundation A most unusual and harrowing Holocaust tale. Because she suffered every inhumanity except a concentration camp, she spent a lifetime in denial, believing that hers was a 'happy childhood.' Rita's discovery of the truth and her eventual acceptance of reality is a story that will resonate with anyone who has ever survived any kind of adversity--and who among us hasn't? -- Melinda Blau

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