The Boy Who Vanished

"An engrossing and intimate account of the constant vigilance, ingenuity, and performance required for an underground Jew to evade detection in the Third Reich. Deeply personal and profoundly affecting, The Boy Who Vanished takes seriously the importance of artistic and cultural resistance, and is necessary reading for anyone confronting the realities of life in an authoritarian state."—Elizabeth Hyman, author of The Girl Bandits of the Warsaw Ghetto

"Written in vivid narrative prose, Ernest Fontheim’s story unfolds like scenes from a movie. His odyssey of coming of age underground as a Jewish student in wartime Germany, evading bloodthirsty Nazis on a daily basis, and navigating Berlin’s treacherous black market also exemplifies the courage and luck necessary to overcome a government bent on genocide. Hard to put down, The Boy Who Vanished is a testament to the commitment of a man and his community to freedom, interwoven with a wistful tale of triumph over unimaginable loss.”—Keren Blankfeld, author of Lovers in Auschwitz

“From the challenges of using fake IDs and finding food on the black market to the hair-raising experience of being marked and chased on foot through Nazi Berlin, The Boy Who Vanished reminds us that survival is a community effort requiring ingenuity, tenacity, and a lot of luck. Ernest Fontheim’s unique and harrowing story draws you in starting on the very first page. You will read this book, cover to cover, in one sitting.”—Heather Dune Macadam, author of 999 and Star Crossed

“An extraordinary tale of survival, resilience, and courage—and a book that couldn’t have arrived at a more crucial time.”—David Litt, New York Times bestselling author of Thanks, Obama and It’s Only Drowning