The Story Behind This Book
No other book I've written has held the deep meaning, enduring characters and powerful expression of Jacob's Courage. I interviewed many Holocaust survivors. Much of their anxiety, fear and anger remain.s At times, working on the manuscript was like taking dictation from someone deep inside. That has never occurred in any of my other books.
In part, I wrote this book to honor the horrid experiences that my 104-year-old mother and her family experienced in what is today the Ukraine. To the end, she had nightmares about the beatings meted out to her family. About half of her extended family perished in the Shoah.
It was also my intention to re-tell the truth of the Shoah, to help fight today's anti-semitism and Holocaust denial. Most of today's young people have no idea that millions of innocent Jewish families were murdered only because of their choice of faith. That must change. I believe that we can only promote that change through education; in classrooms and with books and films.
I also wrote Jacob's Courage to honor the millions of families who were murdered by bullet or gas, or by the starvation, brutality, forced labor and sickness they were forced to endure. They were lost, but will never be forgotten. May their memories always be a blessing.
Praise and Reviews
Gut Wrenching and Heart Rending. At the end of the read one feels both hope and admiration for the human spirit." ---Holocaust Center of Toledo Director, Hindea Markowicz
"And I Cried... This book brings the Holocaust to life and evokes emotions not found in many history books. Weaving together a story of love, passion, horror, and history, Weinblatt left nothing out." ---Sylvania Historical Society
"A tender, coming of age tale. This book shows the critical roles that love, determination, and steadfast belief play toward battling one's demons both physically and mentally. Jacob's Courage is ultimately a tribute to the triumphant human spirit." ---Jewish Book World
Jacob's Courage reminded me of one of the greatest books of the 20th Century, Viktor Frankl's, Man's Search for Meaning. ---- Author Frank Fiore
"You see hear and smell... Hitler's Third Reich." --- Author Ron Braithwaite,
"Jacob's Courage follows the young couple from the forced ghettos to the concentration camps and beyond, with several harrowing twists and turns that allow Weinblatt to illustrate the myriad tragedies Holocaust victims faced." --Toledo Free Press
"The reader sees events through the eyes of archetypal participants...a doctor forced to experiment on his own, a Sonderkommando and a hero." --The Association of Jewish Libraries
"The love story was beautiful and touching. This was such an emotional read. Weinblatt's vivid descriptions of the time beautifully entwines with the love story. Jacob's Courage is a powerful story of how love does conquer all. No matter how hard the times are, love and humanity never lose their power." -- My Love Affair with Books.
"The author maintains a driving, relentless pace. Jacob and his beloved Rachael try to escape the madness of Nazi Germany while maintaining their humanity; in the end, the visionary protagonist comes to echo his Biblical counterpart who fled danger in his own country and saw a life-changing vision in his dreams." --The University of Toledo Alumni Magazine
"Jacob's Courage reminded me of one of the greatest books of the 20th Century, Viktor Frankl's, Man's Search for Meaning. Weinblatt has painted a picture with words of the horrors of the holocaust. Jacob's Courage is a personal, real life example of holding on to something greater than one's self. The love that grows between Jacob and Rachael sustains them through the horrors of life in a Nazi death camp. We all could learn a lesson from these two teenagers, coming of age and faced with the greatest existential threat to life." F---rank Fiore, author
"Not since Corrie Ten Boom's The Hiding Place have the horrors of the holocaust been brought to life in such vivid detail. Charles Weinblatt takes you to Nazi Germany through the lives of two young people whose world is torn apart at a time in their lives when it should be blossoming. Weinblatt does a masterful job of touching your emotions throughout the book by placing you inside the lives of Jacob and Rachel. I recommend you pick up a copy of this book and a box of tissues. Get ready for a good cry and a heart warming ending as Jacob and Rachel find the courage to live." ---Rick Rodgers, author
Charles Weinblatt's masterpiece is a gripping story... as well as a literary triumph." ---Marvin May.
"One of the best books ever written about the Holocaust. I've read hundreds of books on the subject as both my parents were survivors. However, this one touched my heart in a special way." - --Toby Faywlowicz Schafer
"This is an amazing book... one of the best reads that I've had in a long while and I literally could not put it down." ---Jodi Shepard.
"For a clear and no-hold's-barred description of life as a Jew in Nazi Germany, you can't beat Jacob's Courage, by Charles Weinblatt." --- Jennifer Feddersen, Editor.
Anyone interested in a good love story should pick up Jacob's Courage --- Darcia Helle, Author
