Jacob's Courage by Charles S. Weinblatt

WWII historical fiction

Romance and Survival amidst the Horrors of War

About the Book

Jacob’s Courage is a poignant and powerful tale of love and bravery set against the harrowing backdrop of Nazi-occupied Austria. Follow the journey of two young Jews, Jacob and Rachael, as they navigate a world where innocence is ruthlessly destroyed. From their comfortable lives in Salzburg to a decrepit ghetto, from a prison camp where they secretly marry to their escape through a tunnel and their joining of the local partisans to fight the Nazis, their journey is both heart-wrenching and inspiring. But their courage is truly tested as they face the horrors of Auschwitz, where faith, love, and courage are their only allies.

With unforgettable moments of chaste beauty, Jacob’s Courage is a moving coming-of-age story that examines the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unspeakable brutality and genocide.

LAUNCHED: 13 June 2023

Details

Author: Charles S. Weinblatt
Series: WWII Historical Fiction
Genre: WWII Hist Fic
Tags: Audio rights available, Foreign Rights Available, WW2 historical fiction
ASIN: B0C38QSVXF
ISBN: 9789493276925
List Price: $21,95
eBook Price: $4,99

In Austria in 1939, young Jacob Silverman and Rachael Goldberg are in love. Jacob plans to go on to college. Then tragedy strikes as Hitler's army invades Austria. All the Jews are forced to live in a decrepit ghetto. Soon they are sent on to a concentration camp, where Jacob and Rachael secretly marry. They are able to escape, join partisans, and fight the Nazis. They become separated during an attack on a German train, and Jacob is again captured by the Germans. The partisan leader falls in love with Rachael and tries to protect both her and her unborn child until she can be reunited with Jacob. This is a magnificent, gripping novel of breathtaking courage under extreme circumstances. ... the novel describes the considerable cruelties and inhuman behavior caused by the Nazis and experienced by the Jewish people in Eastern Europe during the war. The author places readers into the thick of it. You will share the pain and grief of this young Jewish couple as they are forced into imprisonment, as their friends and families are killed. The story is immensely readable, although the book is quite long.

– Jeff Westerhoff. Historical Novel Society

As I read `Jacob's Courage", I was struck with how much it reminded me of one of the greatest books of the 20th Century. I can't add any more to the reviews here about how well Weinblatt has painted a picture with words of the horrors of the holocaust. He has done so in a haunting and evocative way. Even though he has done and excellent job of putting the reader in the shoes of Jacob and Rachel, much of their experience during the holocaust has been written before. So what's unique about Weinblatt's book? I'll tell you. In 1956, Viktor Frankl wrote a book called "Man's Search for Meaning" based on his experiences as a Nazi concentration camp inmate. In his book he describes his method of finding a reason to live - to believe in something beyond oneself - that kept him and others alive during a terror, that today, we could hardy imagine. "Jacob's Courage" is a personal, real life example of this method based on real people of Weinblatt's family that validates Frankl's beliefs. In his book, Frankl quotes from the Song of Solomon. "Set me like a seal upon thy heart, love is as strong as death." (Song of Solomon 8:6) The love that grows between Jacob and Rachel is what sustains them through the horrors of life in a Nazi death camp. They find the power of love - believing in something beyond themselves - their love for each other. We all could learn a lesson from these two teenagers coming of age and faced with the greatest existential threat to life.

– Frank F. Fiore

Terrible time In history but this is very factual and well written..I couldn't put it down.

– Susan Schonfeld

This was possibly the best book I have ever read. The story was written in such an awesome way. It is amazing what Jacob and Rachel had to do to survive the horrors of the Natzi concentration camps.

– Sheila

This book is terrific at face value. It is even better than face value; when you think about the ideals of love and mankind. Whether or not the research of this novel was one hundred percent accurate; the Holocaust in of itself is totally accurate. The author adds a family and a plot to this atrocity, coupled with mixed emotions. Hearing grumblings of a war to come, there were choices to made by characters in ths novel to leave the country while they still could. Many did not believe the war could and would ever- become a Holocaust. Many left. Many stayed . Although some parts of Jacob's Courage are emotionally difficult to read, the hearstrings of love and humanity soothe those parts. Do they live? Does love beat out the odds? Or is it courage?

– skl

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.

– The Jewish Book Council

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Charles S. Weinblatt

Charles S. Weinblatt, who retired in 2004 at the age of 51 from a rewarding career as a university administrator because of a spinal disability, is a prolific book reviewer for The New York Journal of Books, the author of several books, and a former contributing journalist for The Examiner. Weinblatt’s biography appears in the Marquis Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in American Education. In January 2021, Weinblatt was selected by the Marquis Board to receive the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. Weinblatt joined the University of Toledo in 1987 as Director of Computer Learning Centers. He became a program manager in the Human Resource Development Center and a Program Coordinator in the Division of Continuing Education. Weinblatt created the Division of Organization Development in 1995, providing management consulting, customized training, and organizational and employee assessments. He served as director until his retirement. Under his leadership, this division improved the performance of dozens of organizations throughout the United States and Canada while generating significant revenue for the University of Toledo. Earlier in his career, Weinblatt counseled in psychotherapy, education, training, and vocational rehabilitation, serving thousands of individuals. He also managed a private employment consulting career for 20 years, providing job seeking skills training and counseling for many organizations and innumerable individuals.  Weinblatt has been a frequent television news guest as an expert on economic, management, and labor force issues, appearing more than 40 times on Toledo television news stations. The rich diversity of his career enables Weinblatt to produce books and novels that draw upon a wide range of sources and contain unforgettable, well-developed characters. Weinblatt continues to write novels, short stories, and articles in retirement. He lives with his wife in Ohio.

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