Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite

Max’s War: The Story of a Ritchie Boy by Libby Fischer Hellmann takes readers inside Germany during the rise to power of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party from a Jewish family’s perspective. As persecution and discrimination against Jews grew inside Germany, Max and his family knew they needed to leave. Max’s first love, Renée, and her family had already decided to emigrate to Shanghai, while Max and his parents decided to head for The Netherlands. There they felt accepted and safe until Germany invaded in 1940. Leaving his family behind, Max heads for Chicago where he finds work as a mechanic. When he discovers that his parents have been murdered by the Nazis, he is consumed by a burning desire to kill Nazis and he enlists in the U.S. Army. With the ability to speak German, Dutch, English, and a smattering of French, Max is quickly identified as a prime candidate for Army Intelligence. He is sent to Camp Ritchie in Maryland and trained in interrogation and counterintelligence. Seconded to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), Max is sent to Europe to conduct and supervise covert operations. Max’s war has truly begun.

Max’s War is the compelling story of the personal impact of antisemitism on a young boy growing up in post-WWI Germany. Author Libby Fischer Hellmann does a wonderful job of describing that frightening transition from loyal Germans to unwanted non-Aryans that Max observed growing up in Regensburg. As their rights were slowly but surely whittled away by the emergence of the powerful Nazi movement, many Jews were confronted with the reality that they were considered “less than” in their own country. Max’s father had fought for Germany in WWI, their family had lived in Germany for three generations, they had a successful business, and established community ties, yet suddenly they were being told they were less than vermin. Many Jews who loved Germany refused to leave and paid the ultimate price in the death camps. Even those, like Max’s family who sought safety in The Netherlands or France, were mistaken in thinking they could outrun Hitler’s insane plans for them. What I appreciated most about Max’s War was that despite all the mistreatment and horrors perpetrated on Max and his family, he managed to retain his humanity and judge people by their actions, rather than blame all Germans for what had happened in their country. The story is well-written, fast-paced, and ultimately, despite being about one of the most inhumane times in recent history, is also a sweet and beautiful love story. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and highly recommend it.