To Life!

About the Book

My introduction to Nathan Offen was on a tennis court where a number of my buddies and I have been playing regularly for over thirty years. (Nathan joined us more recently.) Nathan was my opponent, and as I stood my ground at the net, Nathan rifled one past me down the alley. I was very impressed, particularly when I learned that, although we share a birthday, he is twelve years my senior. I learned a lot about Nathan in these past few years. Although a tough competitor, he is a congenial companion with a warm sense of humor. One of his signatures on the court is to shout at an opponent after hitting a ball out of his reach (as described above), “What’s the matter with you?” All in obvious good humor. But then I learned about Nathan’s early life by reading his story in these pages. And of course, that led to my appreciation of how he was able to endure the most horrific experiences a person can face, and emerge as a productive, energetic, enthusiastic husband, father, brother, life partner, and friend. Although many holocaust stories have preceded Nathan’s, it is critical that each unique story be told in order to provide a glaring light on the unfathomable, barbaric behavior perpetrated on innocent people by an obviously subhuman mob of creatures that once crawled on our planet and to try to ensure that they don’t crawl out of their holes again. —Stu Gray

About the Author