Let My Half Cry: An Autobiography

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Let My Half Cry is the autobiographical journey of author Leon B. van Leeuwen, beginning with his childhood as a Jewish boy growing up in Holland in the 1920s and 1930s and continuing with his sudden immigration to America during a terrifying time in history. Mr. van Leeuwen experiences a normal childhood until, in 1939, history changes his life forever. A growing fear of the Nazis prompts his father to buy his family passage to America, where he believes they will be safe from the impending threat. Together with his mother and siblings, van Leeuwen leaves his father behind in Holland and escapes to New York to begin his life as a refugee in a new world, eventually hearing the terrifying news that his father has been taken prisoner at the Bergen Belsen concentration camp. Mr. van Leeuwen gives us a rare glimpse into a world that no longer exists by providing rich detail about his childhood, his school days, his family, and their neighbors. He also paints a vivid picture of the Dutch Jewish culture and rituals. Most importantly, Let My Half Cry shows us that the love of a parent can overcome insurmountable odds, transcend continents, and reunite a family torn apart by tragedy.