A Place to Hide    by Ronald H. Balson Order:  USA  Can St. Martin's, 2024 (2024) Hardcover, e-Book     Reviewed by Barbara Lingens This is a good story about what can happen when people are not afraid to help others. Young Teddy, very well connected, gets a job in the State Department in the Netherlands just before World War II. In Amsterdam there are many Jews who are, rightly, fearful for their future. It is impossible for Teddy to help them all, but he does find a way to help a great many. There were some difficulties with the novel for this reviewer. Since the story is written as a memoir by a person who is truly optimistic, we don't get much of the emotional impact of those times. It all seems too easy. Nor do we get a really close feeling for the true ugliness that Jews had to endure in that time and the confusion in non-Jews' views of what was happening. Even when parents being transported to certain death left their children behind, it was portrayed as solely an intellectual decision. What heartbreak there must have been! Nevertheless, the story is really well researched with characters both historical and fictional and it details lesser-known events of World War II. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Historical books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews