Immigrant Soldier

Born during World War II and raised in 1950's in Laguna Beach, California, Kathryn Slattery knew little of her father's family story other than his childhood in Germany and sudden emigration to the U.S. in the mid-1930s. As a child she enjoyed reading, drawing, and spending long days at the beach. Then, at the age of seventeen, she went to Europe with her family. The trip ignited her love for travel and sparked her interest in World War II and the Holocaust. She studied Art and English at U.C.L.A in the early 1960s. After graduation she continued her education in art and education at the University of the Americas in Mexico City. The years afterwards passed, filled with teaching art, English and cooking, traveling around the world, raising a family, and volunteering for the Girl Scouts of the USA. In between Kathryn read everything she could get her hands on about the Holocaust. Finally she returned to her early love of writing, concentrating first on creating stories and articles for young people. She has been published in several highly rated magazines for the youth market. Immigrant Soldier, based on her uncle's World War II experiences, is her first novel.
Kathryn lives in Laguna Beach, California, only steps from her childhood home. Besides writing, her main interests are travel, cooking and painting.

Immigrant Soldier, The Story of a Ritchie Boy, based on a true story, begins on Kristallnacht, the Nazi pogrom that marks the beginning of the Holocaust. Herman watches in horror as his cousin and a friend are arrested. As a Jew, he realizes it is past time to flee his homeland.


Herman's life is changed forever by the gathering storm of world events. He evades arrest and flees Germany to shelter in England until his US visa arrives. There he falls in love with Molly, an English girl. But all too soon, Herman must leave for America. He travels to Chicago and then on to California, where he begins to make a golden life for himself. Thus begins a series of adventures, part coming of age story, part immigrant tale. But Herman's ideal California life is destined to end with the growing war in Europe and America's eventual entry into the conflict.


Secret orders send Herman to Intelligence Training School at Camp Ritchie, Maryland, where he is surrounded by other refugees. The days at Camp Ritchie are full of surprises, both mental and physical. After graduation, he returns to Europe as an intelligence officer. His experiences as an interrogator of German prisoners-some that make him proud and some that make him ashamed-bring him to an understanding of his values and his feelings about his homeland. His skills also bring him to the attention of General Patton. Near the end of the war, he visits a concentration camp where the horror he sees shakes him to his core.


By the time Herman is ready to return to the US, he has evolved from a frustrated teenager, looking for a place to belong, into a confident U.S. Army Intelligence officer who has made his peace with hate and forgiveness.


This Second Anniversary edition contains Readers' Group Discussion Questions, perfect for use with book groups.