Shanghai Diary

Shanghai Diary: A Young Girl's Journey from Hitler's Hate to War-Torn China
by Ursula_Bacon Ursula Bacon
Did you know that 18,000 Jews escaped Europe by living in Shanghai? I didn't, until I saw this book. It's a fascinating tale of the author when she was a child. Many were Germans who had escaped their country when the Nazis were elected. The United States, Canada, and countries in Central and South America had immigration quotas and closed their doors to the Jews. But China did not, so many headed there, thinking they were safe at the other end of the world.

Then the war in the Pacific erupted.
Since Germany was in an alliance with Japan (and Italy,) they were required to move into a ghetto called Hong-kew. Conditions were deplorable and got worse as the war waged on and Chinese stores began running out of basic supplies and food.
In between the tales of bombing raids, unsanitary conditions, hilarious cultural faux pas, the author weaves a coming-of-age story.
The book is self-publshed and there are some editing errors.
For a long time, while reading the book, I wondered why she couldn't find a proper publisher. Then I read about the murder. She murdered a Japanese soldier by mistake. It was in self-defense, really. She also helped transport some American soldiers to a safe house. They had crashed in a plane and the Japanese were looking for them. I'm sure a publisher would have wanted those stories emphasized and she probably chose to forge her own way in self-publishing to have more control over the story.