In June of 1944, President Roosevelt announced that 1,000 refugees were going to be brought into the United States for asylum totally disregarding the current quotas. The matter was placed into the hands of Harold L. Ickes, the Secretary of the Interior who in turn decided to send Ruth Gruber to oversee the project.

Thus begins Haven: The Dramatic Story of 1,000 World War II Refugees and How They Came to America as Ruth Gruber tells the compelling story of this journey to rescue these Europeans who originally came from 18 different countries and bring them to safety in the United States. Ruth herself accompanied them every step of the way, from Italy to a camp in Oswego, New York. This trip was made under extremely dangerous conditions as the war was still very much underway. Ruth tells some of the refugees’ memorable stores here in this book, and these stories paint in riveting detail the suffering and persecution that these people suffered under Nazi control.

Once safety in the United States had been achieved, there was a secondary battle, one to allow these refugees to stay as immigrants and again Ruth guided these people through every step that needed to be taken. As one can see, at the heart of this book is Ruth. Her caring and respect for these downtrodden people shines on every page and she gives full meaning to the word humanitarian. I found this to be a very interesting story and, as in the words of poet Emma Lazarus, one more way that America said, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.“ ( )