REVIEWS:

Marcia Breece was so moved by my stories about my parents, especially their escape from Europe on board of the rescue ship Parita, she asked if she could write a book about my mother’s journey to Eretz Israel. Needless to say, I agreed and eagerly shared and translated the mementos and letters I found in Mom’s apartment after she died in 2010. I also shared my own memories about my parents.

Yutka And the Voyage of the Parita went far beyond what I expected. Marcia captured my parents’ personalities and the love story that continued for the rest of their lives. She went the extra mile to include Jewish laws and traditions. I grew up in British Mandated Palestine during WWII. Marcia grew up in Ohio after the war but she describes the geography and demography of Eretz Israel as if she also grew up in Israel. Her writing brought my mother’s story to life, a fragment of Jewish history that should not be lost or forgotten.

On a very personal note: Unlike 99% of my American peers and friends, I was not fortunate to know and experience the love of grandparents, uncles, aunts and close family. The Nazis deprived me of those fond memories by murdering my mother’s family, execution-style. Marcia’s book and the way she wrote about my mother’s grandfather, parents, brother and sister helped me overcome not having them. Thank you, Marcia, for that.

—Sam Regev, author of My Call of Abraham, Kennewick, WA

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Not the typical World War II story. YUTKA And the Voyage of the Parita is a story of hope, survival, and triumph. Yutka’s own journals and photos informed the story of her anguished and ultimately successful flight from Poland, written with clarity and compassion. I couldn’t put it down.

—Tess Taft, MSW, LICSW, Family Therapist, Author, Port Townsend, WA

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I am at a loss for words. Marcia Breece did an amazing job writing and capturing the true horrors of this time in history. She did it while still showing the humanity of the characters.

—Rachel Schild, Cincinnati, Ohio