Rounders

About the Book

Helen Joseph was just ten in the autumn of 1939 as the Second World War began. When her parents decided to separate her from the family in London’s Jewish East End and send her to a safer location outside the city, Helen initially looked at the change as a wonderous adventure. But little did she know that very soon she would feel completely overwhelmed with the gravity of her situation. In a fascinating memoir, Helen retells the tale of her journey through a fictional character, Dora, while sharing a glimpse of life inside England during the Blitz bombing campaign of 1940, as she bravely faced all the emotions associated with being separated from her family and forced outside the only world she had ever known. Through vivid descriptions, Dora shares how she balanced the challenges of living for the first time in a non-Jewish community, while maintaining her Jewish identity; and kept fears of the worst back in London in check while she experienced the ups, downs, and adventures of being rotated among five families; and eventually reunited with her loved ones. Rounders shares the true story of a young Jewish schoolgirl from London as she lived as an evacuee guest in the English countryside during the London Blitz of 1940.

About the Author

Helen E. Ellias was born and raised in London, England, and married her husband, Percy, in the years following World War II. After moving to the United States in the 1950s, they settled in New Jersey where they raised their three children. Among Helen’s passions were family, genealogy, history, and reading. Helen built her personal library to over 500 books, and then began writing herself. In 2011, Helen passed away at age eighty-one. Her family honors her memory by carrying on her mission to share her stories with the world.