In her memoir as a very young witness to the Nazi takeover of Austria, Eva Maiden's personal account tells of the inner life of a girl under threat. Her family escapes to become unwelcome refugees in Switzerland. They arrive in America on the last passenger ship to leave Italy before the United States enters World War II. Her life as a schoolgirl and teenager in New York City is often rewarding, but contains a shadow of terror. Her memoir ends as she turns twenty-one, a young woman full of purpose. Readers will be intrigued by the author's resilient approach to challenges. In following the fate of Eva's family and former neighbors there is much to learn about Austrian history during the Holocaust. Adults and high school youth will find it hard to put this book down once they begin reading.