A GIFT FROM THE ENEMY is the never before told story of a Jewish family finding refuge from the Nazi hunters in fascist Italy. Told through the voice of a child, it is an upbeat tale which shows the great love of a mother for her child and it presents a true picture of what foreign Jews faced in Italy under the Mussolini reign.
Sent to an internment camp, mother and son are kept in a backward village where the only modern convenience is an electric lamp that shuts off every night by ten o’clock. Yet the government pays the family a monthly stipend sufficient for their existence.
Written in a style both fresh and poetic, reviewers have called A GIFT “a compelling story that is hard to put down.” The colorful characters, presented by the young raconteur, and life in the Italian village bound to its traditions, superstitions and religion, create an unforgettable picture.
While the subject is Jewish, it is also Italian and historic: World War II. The audiences to whom I have spoken have indicated a wide range of people’s interest in the book. Not to be set aside, is the love that blossoms between an Italian man and the mother. The tale asks the question: What was the gift from the enemy?
My background is varied. Born in Vienna, Austria, I was forced into our wandering before I turned eight and because of racial laws was deprived of a normal scholastic education. After the war, I embarked on a variety of endeavors, ultimately feeling most comfortably in the corporate world from which I retired at the age of 62 as CEO.
A GIFT came to life on the suggestion of a person who heard me speak publicly about my semi-adventurous life as a child. The book has received the endorsement of Elie Wiesel, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, a positive Kirkus Review, as well as other impressive reviews.