Odyssey of Exile: Jewish Women Flee the Nazis for Brazil

Odyssey of Exile paints a sensitive a compelling portrait of German-Jewish women who fled Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s. Arriving in South America, they faced haunting memories of the terror they had escaped and the challenge of adjusting to Brazil’s patriarchal culture, unstable economy, and tropical climate.

Nine educated women from the German middle class are the focus of this volume. Katherine Morris places their memoirs in historical context, offering rare glimpses into personal histories. While the narratives differ in tone, subject, and approach, they share common themes: how Jewish women reacted to Nazi persecution, the pragmatic way they adapted to a new life in Brazil, and their desire to record their stories to keep the history of their families alive.