Shanghai Losses: A young Jewish girl's time in Shanghai during World War II

Author: Adrienne Tropp

Ever since young Rachel Weiser and her family fled Nazi Germany for Japanese-controlled Shanghai, her grandfather’s tours of the city, her close friendship with a Russian schoolmate, and her doll, Mary, are what enable Rachel to endure this new life.

Rachel begins a list of all that she’s lost. Of course, there was the life she had in Germany. But since arriving in this strange new city, where poverty and great wealth coexist, Rachel’s losses mount.

On February 18, 1943, Japan issues a proclamation that Shanghai’s refugees must relocate to a one-square-mile area known as Hongkew. Once again, Rachel’s safe existence is being ripped away, and Rachel’s losses grow too numerous to count: a decent home, friends, her school, and her relationships with her parents and beloved sister.

As America enters WWII and the war escalates, neighborhood yentas issue dire warnings of catastrophe, and Rachel realizes she could lose even more—maybe even her life and the lives of her loved ones.

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