I just finished reading Robert Wolf's heartfelt story of his family's horrifying journey during the 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s. Congratulations on an excellent book! It was a definite page turner and, if it were up to me, it would already have made it to the Best Selling List. His father was an amazing man as were his grandparents. I could feel the love Robert had for them shining through his words. I personally learned a great deal of what really happened during that time. It is so unfortunate that, once again, or still, there is prejudice showing it's ugly head in societies around the world. Once again, congratulations on a wonderful book.

Not a Real Enemy by Robert Wolf and Janice Harper is a spellbinding memoir that follows the true story of a Hungarian Jewish man and his quest for freedom. Fans of Holocaust survival literature will devour this memoir that reads like well-crafted fiction. In 1944, Erwin Wolf was lucky to be among the hundreds of thousands of Jewish Hungarians not shipped to Auschwitz by the Nazis. But he was forced to work in the labor camps where he endured inhumane and cruel treatment. With the defeat of Germany, Erwin and many others found their freedom, but the communist regime under Stalin came with its own woes, and society was infested with fear and betrayals. Follow Erwin Wolf and his journey to freedom, a journey that takes him through imprisonment, narrow escapes, and fearful adventures. Can he escape the communist oppression in Hungary where friends become foes overnight? This is one of those books you read and are at loss for words when it comes to describing your experience. Robert Wolf and Janice Harper have crafted a memoir that is immersive and that instantly absorbs the reader. It is a tale of resilience in the midst of man’s inhumanity to man and the authors allow the painful experience to shine through the narrative. This book offers a vivid picture of what it felt like to live under the communist regime in Hungary and the dehumanization of the Jewish people by Hitler. Erwin’s quest for freedom is relentless and his triumph will leave a wonderful sense of joy and delight in readers. The book is crafted in gorgeous prose, brimming with history, and featuring people that readers will care about.

I just finished reading Rob's wonderful recounting of his family and especially his father's ordeals during WWII in Hungary. Not a Real Enemy is the type of history book that needs to be read, putting the humanity front and center in what happened during WWII. A powerful book that is a page turner and one that I actually learned new things about that time period.

I knew little about the fate of Hungarian citizens, and Jews in particular, during Nazi and Russian Communist occupation. Not a Real Enemy brought history to life. I was so moved by the story of Ervin Wolf, his parents and, later, his wife Judit. The stories are a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit, the small miracles that can mean life in the face of death, and both the incredible cruelties and generous sacrifices that human beings are capable of. Robert Wolf and Janice Harper made me care deeply about the fate of a particular young man and his family, as well as an entire nation under siege. There are many great heroes in this book, and the author is certainly one, who made meaning out of cruel circumstances and almost inconceivable events. I am the better for reading this extraordinary book.

About 400 pages and finished it in two days. Very compelling read. Gut wrenching at times. Had to put the book down every so often to collect myself due to sadness and heartache. But ultimately in the end heartwarming and you’ll be crying tears of joy.

Robert Wolf deftly combines his father's testimony and his own research into a riveting historical narrative to recreate a sensitive and sophisticated portrayal of Jewish life in Hungary before, during, and after the Holocaust. It is a profoundly moving account of the Wolf family's dignity, courage, and resilience in the face of implacable hatred. It is a story of loss, but more importantly of survival and the strength of the human spirit in the face of overwhelming odds.

Not a Real Enemy breaks new ground in describing Soviet postwar rule in Hungary and merits a worthy place in recalling the Jewish people's darkest night and its ongoing thirst for rebirth and renewal.

Not a Real Enemy is a powerful tribute by the son of survivors to his parents, telling their story in a compelling narrative that begins at the turn of the twentieth century and takes us through the turmoil of World War I and the buildup to the Holocaust. It then brings us into the death camp of Auschwitz Birkenau and into the slave labor camps of Hungary and also to life under Communism and the daring escape into the free world. The writing is crisp, the story complex but the author weaves the narrative strands together seamlessly. I was moved to tears of sadness and frustration but also tears of joy! Well done indeed.