The MS St. Louis

The MS St. Louis is the setting for the bulk of Josef’s story, while he and his family are passengers. The ship is originally a setting of safety and promise - as it is taking them to a new homeland. However over time, the ship becomes a prison and the passengers - all Jewish refugees - realize they are no safer on the ship than in Germany. Gratz modeled this story off of the true story of the MS St. Louis, as he explains at the end of the book in the Author’s Note. Josef and his family board the MS St. Louis out of Hamburg Germany, after their father has been released from Dachau. Their plan is to take the boat to Cuba, and eventually get to the United States from there. Josef celebrates his bar mitzvah on the boat, the Captain...