All for You

“. . . uniquely poignant . . . An affecting story of ordinary perseverance during terrible times.”—Kirkus Reviews

“A poignant family memoir set against the tumultuous background of World War II and the Holocaust. In tracing the struggles of her parents to escape Nazi Germany and build a new life in America, Dena Romero explores the agonizing choices and traumas familiar to generations of political refugees the world over. She shows how a stubborn belief in decency and kindness along with the human qualities of adaptability and persistence can provide a path to healing, enabling love to triumph over hate.”—Michael Dobbs, author of The Unwanted: America, Auschwitz, and a Village Caught in Between

“… Neatly embedding her own family story within the wider historical context of World War II, Romero has written a truly unusual and powerful book that shows how every Holocaust story is unique.”—Dr. Phyllis Deutsch, PhD, lecturer at Dartmouth College and former editor-in-chief of University Press of New England

“This deeply personal account—part biography, part autobiography—of the extraordinary story of two families needed to be told. Dena Romero shows how personal fate is inextricably intertwined with historical circumstances. Concurrently but no less powerful is the narrative of her Protestant mother’s steadfastness in enduring many years of separation in order to finally be reunited with her Jewish beloved. Romero shows us that her own story is put together of piecemeal information, though she has researched documents thoroughly and astutely.”—Dr. Ulrike Rainer, Associate Professor Emerita, Department of German Studies, Dartmouth College

“How do you choose between your family and your lover during Nazi times? In All for You, Romero explores, with poignancy and excellent research, her father’s struggle, as a refugee leaving home alone with loved ones left behind, waiting for rescue.”—Mimi Schwartz, author of Good Neighbors, Bad Times Revisited: New Echoes of My Father’s German Village

“Dena Romero brings to life her parents’ odyssey and boundless patience during long years of separation, uncertainty, and hardship. Supported by miraculously preserved documents, the book tracks with remarkable sensitivity the harrowing 1930s and 1940s in vile Nazi Germany, dithering Britain, and standoffish America. It is a moving, tragic story captivatingly told.”—Dr. Franz Baumann, Vice President of the Academic Council on the United Nations System; former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations; and former NYU visiting Professor of International Relations