2014 Miami Book Fair | Steven Pressman

Steven Pressman was a magazine and newspaper journalist for more than thirty years. His articles have appeared in many national newspapers including, the Washington Post, San Francisco Examiner, California Journal and George magazine. He is the author of Outrageous Betrayal: The Dark Journey of Werner Erhard from est to Exile, and the writer, director, and producer of the Emmy-nominated HBO documentary film 50 Children: The Rescue Mission of Mr. and Mrs. Kraus. His latest book, 50 Children: One Ordinary American Couple’s Extraordinary Rescue Mission into the Heart of Nazi Germany (HarperCollins; $26.99), is based on the acclaimed  HBO documentary. In early 1939, America’s rigid immigration laws made it virtually impossible for European Jews to seek safe haven in the United States. As deep-seated anti-Semitism and isolationism gripped much of the country, neither President Roosevelt nor Congress rallied to their aid. Yet one brave Jewish couple from Philadelphia refused to silently stand by. Risking their own safety, Gilbert Kraus, a successful lawyer, and his stylish wife, Eleanor, traveled to Nazi-controlled Vienna and Berlin to save fifty Jewish children. Drawing from Eleanor Kraus’s unpublished memoir, rare historical documents, and interviews with more than a dozen of the surviving children, and illustrated with period photographs, archival materials, and memorabilia, 50 Children is a remarkable tale of personal courage and triumphant heroism that offers a fresh, unique insight into a critical period of history.

2014 Miami Book Fair