In the occupied Netherlands during World War 2, a young teacher and a grocery store clerk sacrifice everything to save children from the hand of the enemy.
A Faith, Hope, and Love Christian Writers 2023 Finalist in Historicals
Helen Smit believed she was called by God to become a teacher. Little does she know but her desire for the little ones will take a drastic turn for survival when the Germans occupy Amsterdam and Jewish children and parents begin to be deported. Now all she can think of is helping Jewish children escape before it’s too late.
Erik Misman’s newfound love for Helen is tested when he joins a plot to help children escape to a safe place in the countryside. If danger can foster a closer bond with Helen and save the lives of the little ones, he will do it all. But a German patrol that stumbles upon the farm where they are hiding with three children, and a soldier who takes an unexpected interest in Helen, could well destroy their plans for safety and love.
Press Release
Escape from Amsterdam honors those who rescued children in WWII Netherlands
Escape From Amsterdam
By Lauralee Bliss
Amid the chaos of a German-occupied Holland in World War II, a Dutch couple is called to rescue children before it’s too late in this spellbinding novel.
RUCKERSVILLE, VIRGINIA – Who doesn’t know the heart-wrenching experience of Anne Frank and her family in Amsterdam, living in tiny rooms for two years as they hid from Nazi occupation and deportation. We know the story, but do we know the sacrifices endured by those who helped the Jews to hide? Author Lauralee Bliss ventured to the Netherlands to visit Anne Frank’s secret annex, the hiding place by Corrie Ten Boom who sheltered Jews in a closet within her bedroom, and then the Jewish Quarter in central Amsterdam where a deportation center in a converted theater sent many Jewish families to their deaths. During that journey, Bliss discovered the heroism of those in a nursery and the Teacher’s Reformed College across from the theater that spurred children away from the Nazis and found them safe places to hide in the country.
Now Bliss honors those sacrifices in the novel, Escape from Amsterdam. Eric Misman and Helen Smit are preparing to do what they thought impossible—outwit a powerful enemy and risk their lives to save children before they are deported. They are ordinary people doing ordinary things—Erik, working as a grocery store clerk; Helen, attending a university with plans to teach children. Caught up in the crisis of an invasion that has decimated their beloved Netherlands, they find their hearts moved to help the innocent escape deportation before it’s too late.
Bliss says of the novel, “Many of the occurrences in the story are based on actual events. I hope that these acts of heroism transcend time and help us become a people that will love others.”
About the Author
Lauralee Bliss is a multi-published author of novels and novellas in both historical and contemporary genres. When not writing, Lauralee can often be found on the trails where the author has logged over 10,000 miles of hiking including two Appalachian Trail completions, and has penned several books on her trail adventures.
CONTACT: Lauralee Bliss
blissful63@gmail.com
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc
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Reviews
This book is about the sacrificial love, faith and tremendous courage shown by ordinary Dutch citizens in the face of the unbelievable atrocities perpetrated against the Jews during the German occupation of Holland, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. – Christian Novel Reviews
“The ending had me in tears and my heart screaming with joy! I couldn’t have picked a better book to read on true love!” — LM Whiting, NetGalley Review
Follow along in the creation of Escape from Amsterdam from its birth, through Dutch culture, history during WWII, and the heroes and heroines on Lauralee’s blog.