A new, moving World War II novel with connections to Wisconsin tells the little-known story of German refugees who, on Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s orders, sailed to New York to escape the repressive Nazi regime. Safe Haven, the third book in author Anna Schmidt’s Peacemaker Series, follows journalist Suzanne Randolph, a down-on-her-luck reporter who is striving to rejuvenate her career by reporting on the conditions of recently arrived European refugees. When she arrives at the Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee Center in Oswego, N.Y., she meets Wisconsin farmer Theo Bridgewater, who is in New York to meet his Quaker relatives who are arriving in the United States as some of the 1,000 refugees allowed to enter the country with the promise to return home after war’s end. Suzanne, eager to redeem her career, begins to interview Theo and the pair quickly develop a strong bond based on their deep faith in God and their stirring commitment to the refugees.
Safe Haven is an extremely well-researched, historically accurate and detailed chronicle of one Quaker family’s historic journey to spread peace in the face of terrible warfare. The story sheds light on the sometimes awful plight of the refugees and the less-than-welcoming attitude they faced from some Americans they came into contact with upon their arrival in the United States. This inspiring novel paints a clear and detailed portrait of a time in U.S. history that many people are unaware of, told through interesting and well-developed characters.
Schmidt is a local author who currently serves as an affiliate at Plaid Tuba Studios in Milwaukee. Her previous novels include Simple Faith and All God’s Children. Plaid Tuba will host a Literary Release Reception for Schmidt as part of Milwaukee’s October Gallery Night on Friday, Oct. 17 from 5-9 p.m. at the Marshall Building, 207 E. Buffalo, Suite 600.
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Book Happening:
Jean Chatzky
5:30 p.m., Oct. 22
Wisconsin Center
400 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Award-winning journalist and best-selling author Jean Chatzky is scheduled to headline the annual Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee “Women & Public Policy” event. Chatzky, one of the country’s best-known financial advisors, is most recently the author of the book Money Rules: The Simple Path to Lifelong Security. For additional information, visit womensfundmke.org.
