Shanghai Refuge

"A fascinating and moving memoir that begins with [Heppner's] childhood in Nazi Germany and moves briskly from one compelling scene to the next."--Forward. "The author describes in detail the sights and sounds of his adopted environment, the mingling of Jews and many nationalities, the choking stench and the humidity, the decadent, exotic underworld of criminals and beggars, the terror of air raids and Japanese guards, the rampant poverty and disease. The general tone, however, is positive, even inspiring, and behind all the experiences lurks a sense of adventure and simple good luck."--Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter. "A fascinating and moving memoir that begins with [Heppner's] childhood in Nazi Germany and moves briskly from one compelling scene to the next."--Forward. "An important addition to the historical record of World War II, an autobiography of a remarkable man's formative years, and a testimony to the power of community and human perseverance."--Indianapolis Star. "Ernest G. Heppner's Shanghai Refuge fills in the fragments ...of this little-known Jewish community...His story is an odd mixture of defiance, courage, endurance and survival. His experience [is] fascinating."--Michael Berenbaum, Director, U.S. Holocaust Research Institute. Ernest G. Heppner was only a boy when the devastation of the November 1938 pogrom, euphemistically known as "Crystal Night," introduced a new level of Nazi horror that ended his family's happy life. Heppner and his mother sailed to Shanghai, the only city in the world that did not require a visa. The 18,000 Jews who fled to Shanghai were confined by Japanese forces to an area one mile square. Heppner describes the daily struggle to survive: overcrowding and disease, the underground world of criminals, hunger, heat, and humidity. Nevertheless, Heppner was self-reliant, energetic, and clever, and this first documented nonfiction account by a survivor is a tribute to human endurance. Ernest G. Heppner is an independent management consultant living in Indianapolis. He has written a new afterword for this Bison Books Edition.