About This Book

Alison Leslie Gold, author of Memories of Anne Frank, brings us the fascinating and little-known story of Chiune Sugihara (1900-1986), a Japanese diplomat who saved the lives of thousands of Jews during the Holocaust.

In 1940, Sugihara moved with his wife and children to Kaunas, Lithuania, where he was assigned the position of Vice Consul. As the war escalated, Jewish refugees, desperate to escape, descended on the Japanese consulate by the hundreds, begging to be issued visas. After much deliberation and consultation with his wife, Sugihara decided to grant the visas against the wishes of his superiors. Working each day from early in the morning until late into the night, he painstakingly wrote hundreds of visas by hand.

Woven into the story of Chiune Sugihara's incredible life are the experiences of Jewish families whose lives were forever altered by his bravery. Alison Leslie Gold's poignant book offers an unforgettable account of one of the largest rescues of Jews during the Holocaust.