Journey to America:
Escaping the Holocaust to Freedom

"Germany in the early days of the Nazis - told from the viewpoint of a young Jewish girl and told mostly in dialog...it becomes more that just another journey: it becomes a vivid documentary of...limitless courage that will never be forgotten by anyone who reads it."   - Publishers Weekly  

In 1938, Lisa Platt and her family know something is happening in Germany. Suddenly there are more and more restrictions for Jews: yellow stars that they have to wear, schools they cannot attend, things they are not allowed to do. When their neighbors are arrested, the Platts realize they have to escape. 

Journey to America is inspired by Sonia Levitin’s own experience of fleeing Germany as a child with her mother and two sisters.

Meet the author, hear her captivating story and join the conversation moderated by Liebe Geft, Director of the Museum of Tolerance.

Purchase your own copy of the book (available in paperback or hardcover)

About the author

Sonia Levitin is an educator, artist,  dramatist and the author of over 40 books that have won many awards including the National Jewish Book Award, the PEN Award and the Sydney Taylor Book Award. Her mystery novel Incident at Loring Groves won the Edgar Allen Poe award. The Return, still in print after more than thirty years, received eight national and international awards and became the basis for a musical she wrote and produced.

Sonia’s close affiliation with the Museum of Tolerance goes back many decades. She is featured in the Witness to Truth gallery at the Museum of Tolerance as a Holocaust survivor speaker. Sonia and her husband, Lloyd, sponsored the Simon Wiesenthal Center/Museum of Tolerance’s Once Upon a World Book Award, an annual contest to promote literature for young readers that advances tolerance, diversity and social justice for all.