The Long Journey to Cleveland is by Rudolf Ruder. It is based on a true story. The story is the story of his parents before, during, and after World War II. He took their story and then did research into what they said to prove as much of it as possible. Therefore, although it is classified as fiction, it is a true story. Thus, this is one of those “fiction” which can and should be used in the classroom. Simon Ruder’s story begins in 1907 in Obertin, now part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Later it became Lvov and Lemberg. He had three brothers and four sisters. By 1938, He was a well-to-do tailor with his own shop. He was married with two children. He had married into a well-to-do family. His life seemed to be going quite well. His wife, Lola, and their two children were killed while trying to escape rather than get on the deportation train. He had already been arrested and was in prison at that time. Marile Hausl was the eldest child of Ludwig Hausl, an engineer for the Deutsche Reichsbahn railroad. He was a decorated World War I veteran. Her Uncles had just joined the German Army as her younger brother Alois was to do. She had been raised as a proper German maiden along with her nine siblings ( ten others had died earlier). She was a devoted member of the Young Girl’s League of the Jungmadelblund and later the Bund Deutscher Madel. She learned the Nazi tenets and believed quite deeply in them. She was quite sure she would recognize any Jews if she came into contact with them, when in fact, she knew two Jewish families. At the age of fourteen, she went to work for the Land Bureau verifying and handing out ration papers. She was quite good at her job and held it through the war and afterwards with the Americans where she met Simon. The book tells of Simon’s time in the prison and in the camps along with the stories of close friends and family who played an important part in his later life. It tells of the problems he and Marile had after they met and the problems leading to their marriage. It tells of the long process they had to go through before they and three of their five children were finally able to enter the US and move to Cleveland arriving on July 3, 1953. The story is well told by their son Rudolf. You can feel the love the three of them have for each other through his word choice as he describes them. The book is amazing and so very well written. I highly recommend this book as it deals with the Holocaust in a different manner.

This amazing story straight out of the history books is brought to life. The improbable survival of Simon Ruder through some of the most notorious concentration camps is dwarfed only by his even more improbable romance with a member of the BDM (female Hitler youth) who had even been selected to meet Hitler. I highly recommend this book. Very well written.

Ruder has written a compelling, moving and ultimately human story. His family's journey is a testament to human strength and the powerful connections that hold us together. He has done this in a work that is at once immensely readable and filled with historical detail. The pages turned themselves. I highly recommend it.

About month ago, I met Mr. Ruder as he was to be the guest speaker at our local Historical Museum about his new book. (He was a family friend of our Director). After visiting with him, I had to have his book. It was one of the most compelling books I had ever read. I would say, I couldn't put it down but in certain instances, I had to… because it was written about real people… his family. This is a MUST READ book for anyone interested in history and it was written with sensitivity and love!!!

Ok I am a little biased the author is my uncle. But his great niece is 12 and she read the book for class and performed an oral interpretation presentation on a passage from the book. So proud of Rudy for recording his parents’ story.

This book needs to be made into an epic movie adventure love story immediately. With such dissention in the world regarding religious beliefs, this compelling story is transformative. A must read!!

The most amazing journey I've ever read about. There is tension, fear, amazing strength and the will to survive and make a new life for himself and his new family, and see how he manages it. Wow! Wow, wow.