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The Last Ships from Hamburg: Business, Rivalry, and the Race to Save Russia's Jews on the Eve of World War I
A propulsive human drama that chronicles the mass exodus of Jews from Eastern Europe to America in the early years of the twentieth century, and the men who made it possible. Over thirty years, from 1890 to 1921, 2.5 million Jews, fleeing discrimination and violence in their homelands of Eastern Europe, arrived in the United States. Many sailed on steamships from Hamburg. This mass exodus was facilitated by three businessmen whose involvement in the Jewish-American narrative has been largely Jacob Schiff, the managing partner of the investment bank Kuhn, Loeb & Company, who used his immense wealth to help Jews to leave Europe; Albert Ballin, managing director of the Hamburg-American Line, who created a transportation network of trains and steamships to carry them across continents and an ocean; and J. P. Morgan, mastermind of the International Mercantile Marine (I.M.M.) trust, who tried to monopolize the lucrative steamship business. Though their goals were often contradictory, together they made possible a migration that spared millions from persecution. Descendants of these immigrants included Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Estée Lauder, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Fanny Brice, Lauren Bacall, the Marx Brothers, David Sarnoff, Al Jolson, Sam Goldwyn, Ben Shahn, Hank Greenberg, Moses Annenberg, and many more—including Ujifusa’s great grandparents. That is their legacy. Moving from the shtetls of Russia and the ports of Hamburg to the mansions of New York’s Upper East Side and the picket lines outside of the notorious Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, The Last Ships from Hamburg is a history that unfolds on both an intimate and epic scale. Meticulously researched, masterfully told, Ujifusa’s story offers original insight into the American experience, connecting banking, shipping, politics, immigration, nativism, and war—and delivers crucial insight into the burgeoning refugee crisis of our own time.
384 pages, Hardcover
Published November 21, 2023
About the author
Steven Ujifusa
8 books41 followersSteven Ujifusa is an historian and a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has written numerous articles on architecture and urban history for PlanPhilly.com and PhillyHistory.org. When he is not writing, he enjoys singing, photography, rowing on the Schuylkill River, and travel. A native of New York City and raised in Chappaqua, New York, Steven received his undergraduate degree in history from Harvard University and a joint masters in historic preservation and real estate development from the University of Pennsylvania. He also serves on the advisory council of the SS United States Conservancy, a national nonprofit dedicated to saving the great ship and preserving her historical legacy.
"A Man and His Ship" is his first book. "The Wall Street Journal" named it as one of their top ten nonfiction books of 2012.
"A Man and His Ship" is his first book. "The Wall Street Journal" named it as one of their top ten nonfiction books of 2012.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
October 13, 2023
What do J.P. Morgan, Kaiser Wilhelm II, and Henry Cabot Lodge have in common? You're right: antisemitism! And as illustrated in Steven Ujifusa's The Last Ships from Hamburg, they were not alone.
The book is pretty sprawling narrative covering the business of immigrant steamship transportation. The main characters are the aforementioned Morgan, and also Albert Ballin and Jacob Schiff. I knew nothing about Ballin and Schiff before this. Ujifusa makes them very interesting characters with specific drives and also obvious faults. There is no hero worship in this book even if there are heroic deeds throughout.
Ujifusa follows the explosion of Russian-Jewish flight from Russia right before World War I. The narrative of the business dealings was interesting, but the real highlight of the book for me was whenever Ujifusa tells smaller stories about specific immigrants and what they faced. A small chapter on what an immigrant mother and child experienced is one of the saddest things I have ever read. The business side of things is important to understanding the greater story, but these smaller instances are when I was completely hooked. Give it a read!
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Harper Books.)
The book is pretty sprawling narrative covering the business of immigrant steamship transportation. The main characters are the aforementioned Morgan, and also Albert Ballin and Jacob Schiff. I knew nothing about Ballin and Schiff before this. Ujifusa makes them very interesting characters with specific drives and also obvious faults. There is no hero worship in this book even if there are heroic deeds throughout.
Ujifusa follows the explosion of Russian-Jewish flight from Russia right before World War I. The narrative of the business dealings was interesting, but the real highlight of the book for me was whenever Ujifusa tells smaller stories about specific immigrants and what they faced. A small chapter on what an immigrant mother and child experienced is one of the saddest things I have ever read. The business side of things is important to understanding the greater story, but these smaller instances are when I was completely hooked. Give it a read!
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Harper Books.)
March 23, 2024
Exceptional story of several riveting characters driving immigration patterns prior to WW I. I had not been familiar with Albert Ballin, who was such a fascinating man in a time of remarkable turbulence. Throw in Jacob Schiff and JP Morgan and Mr. Ujifusa presents a tale of depth and complexity well worth taking the time to explore.
December 4, 2023
(Audiobook) While the title suggests just European Jews leaving Germany for America before World War I, this book is a case of a little bit of everything, everywhere, all at once. This work covers European politics from 1848-1918, the rise of the robber barons in the Gilded Age, US anti-immigration work, eugenics, World War I, the Titanic, pre-war shipping, the rise of Zionism pre-World War I and a host of other topics. There are a lot more threads in this tale then you would think and the author does a solid job of weaving all of that history together and tying it back to the premise of covering Jewish migration from Europe, primarily Germany, to America in the pre-war years. Of course, the specter of anti-semitism is always present, a theme that is quite strong today, as is anti-immigration and other themes. A relevant and solid read for this day and age. The rating is the same regardless of format.
December 4, 2023
I received this book as a goodreads giveaway. While the title suggests a last minute humanitarian effort to evacuate Russian Jews before the start of WWI, the book covers many more years preceding that event. The work is more focused on Russian Jewish immigration to the US beginning with the ascension of Tsar Alexander III and the increase in anti-semitic policies in Russia. The work focused mainly on the director of the Hamburg American Line, Albert Ballin, a banker, Jacob Schiff, and J.P Morgan. The first third of the book is about introducing these three individuals and also explaining the monetization of immigration by shipping companies in the late 19th and early 20th century.
While the last 2/3 of the book do focus on the plight of Russian Jews, particularly after the Kishinev program in Moldova, the focus still leans towards the business side of the history and discussed the ship building advancements between competing shipping lines, including the Titanic. I think the book would have been much better if focused on the humanitarian aspects of the shipping. The work tends to drown in the detail and the title suggests a premise different than the book. I believe there are probably better works that cover this topic.
While the last 2/3 of the book do focus on the plight of Russian Jews, particularly after the Kishinev program in Moldova, the focus still leans towards the business side of the history and discussed the ship building advancements between competing shipping lines, including the Titanic. I think the book would have been much better if focused on the humanitarian aspects of the shipping. The work tends to drown in the detail and the title suggests a premise different than the book. I believe there are probably better works that cover this topic.
February 3, 2024
This book is poorly titled. It's also all over the place.
I tried to keep this review useful and vague enough for someone who hasn't read it yet and is interested, but I go into detail about the Titanic chapter because I can't explain that bit without being specific. If you're the type who wants absolutely no spoilers, this review is too specific for you.
Other reviews have described it as too broad of a scope, however I felt at many times that the scope was too narrow. The focus of the book remains on one group of people and one company throughout; that is not the problem. It *feels* broad because it follows tangents, some that don't belong in the book, and in following those tangents hops around in time. It completely destroys the cohesive, comprehensive narrative and makes it a cat and mouse chase. The book follows this Very Specific Thread and ignores the world at large, so unless you've got the dates memorized... You forget what was happening over there while this is happening over here because they were discussed 50 pages apart. Conversely, there was one part of the book where they reminded us of a detail barely 10 pages after we were first told it in exactly the same words, which gave it a repetitive feel. Amazing to have accomplished both in one book.
There was business. There was rivalry. I'm not sure there was a race to save anyone. There was a race to sink or swim businesses, a race to outpace each other, but the saving people was more like the turtle out of the turtle and the hare. It just kind of happened in the process of doing business. The title made me think there would be an actual race to save people, and instead I was legitimately confused about which ships are the last out of Hamburg. There was no big 'These are the last ships!' moment. There was just kind of business, and then no business.
The entire chapter dedicated to the Titanic was unnecessary. It was not in the scope of the book. It was a tangent, and a weird one. It was neither part of the 'race' nor a ship from Hamburg. But the craziest part is it could have been sold as such. The biographies of passengers on board and little-known facts was helpful to a degree toward that end, and was actually in the scope of the book, but the set up and wrap up just left me ???. We are told just before that Ballin was interested in the triplet ships, led to believe there could possibly be some effect to his business from their launch... but then we skip ENTIRELY over the launch of Olympic. Apparently they weren't that interesting, because the ship being in service wasn't anything to write in the book about. But we sure spent some time on Titanic's lifeboats.
I'm not sure the book went into as much detail about any other event in the book than it did for Titanic. It's like the book suddenly changed into a short synopsis on the Titanic disaster for one chapter. A quick summary of what happened and how it affected shipping at the time and specifically Hapag would have made sense. Instead that whole thing ended with 'and nothing really changed for Hapag—ONWARD!' Everything included about the passengers and individuals affected could have been done without giving us A Night To Remember Abridged. People who wanted to read about the Titanic disaster could have picked up any number of books literally titled Titanic. This one is last ships from Hamburg. How did this get left in the final draft, I have to ask?
I also had difficulties with the citations. I admit I was listening to the audiobook, so there is the possibility of footnotes that I could not see, that were not read to me, and I will assume that they exist. My difficulty was more in when evidence was not presented and specificity of that evidence. Without going into too much detail, the first half of the book is filled with statements, opinions, and suggestions without saying how we know they are true. This was driving me up the wall. I was given tidbits. I remember an, 'according to his granddaughter,' which, okay, tells me it's from an interview or something. There was a, 'no record exists but we do know,' except it was followed by not telling us how we know. But then there were things left hanging by themselves, no source, making them sound like speculation or assumption. I do not like this from my nonfiction. We were given a newspaper headline at one point without being told what newspaper or who the editor was. I felt a LOT better about this in the second half of the book, where whole passages were cited and direct quotes were everywhere. But that first half, man. That first half.
But all these things still result in a 3-star review because I learned some great stuff in this book! So the first half made me rant about the importance of citations and the Titanic chapter was a slog and I feel like I missed a bunch of stuff because I don't speak German or any of the Jewish languages and stuff was definitely said and left undefined (Making me feel like this book maybe wasn't intended for me) but there was a lot about the shipping businesses, the waltz of governments, and the immigrant experience that I had not heard before, and so, I consider my lifetime not wasted by spending some on this book. It was more painful to get through than I would have liked, but I'm glad that I read it.
Much of this review is patched together from my messages to friends while reading it 😂 So I hope I am remembering everything correctly. If I have misremembered something specific, I apologize.
I tried to keep this review useful and vague enough for someone who hasn't read it yet and is interested, but I go into detail about the Titanic chapter because I can't explain that bit without being specific. If you're the type who wants absolutely no spoilers, this review is too specific for you.
Other reviews have described it as too broad of a scope, however I felt at many times that the scope was too narrow. The focus of the book remains on one group of people and one company throughout; that is not the problem. It *feels* broad because it follows tangents, some that don't belong in the book, and in following those tangents hops around in time. It completely destroys the cohesive, comprehensive narrative and makes it a cat and mouse chase. The book follows this Very Specific Thread and ignores the world at large, so unless you've got the dates memorized... You forget what was happening over there while this is happening over here because they were discussed 50 pages apart. Conversely, there was one part of the book where they reminded us of a detail barely 10 pages after we were first told it in exactly the same words, which gave it a repetitive feel. Amazing to have accomplished both in one book.
There was business. There was rivalry. I'm not sure there was a race to save anyone. There was a race to sink or swim businesses, a race to outpace each other, but the saving people was more like the turtle out of the turtle and the hare. It just kind of happened in the process of doing business. The title made me think there would be an actual race to save people, and instead I was legitimately confused about which ships are the last out of Hamburg. There was no big 'These are the last ships!' moment. There was just kind of business, and then no business.
The entire chapter dedicated to the Titanic was unnecessary. It was not in the scope of the book. It was a tangent, and a weird one. It was neither part of the 'race' nor a ship from Hamburg. But the craziest part is it could have been sold as such. The biographies of passengers on board and little-known facts was helpful to a degree toward that end, and was actually in the scope of the book, but the set up and wrap up just left me ???. We are told just before that Ballin was interested in the triplet ships, led to believe there could possibly be some effect to his business from their launch... but then we skip ENTIRELY over the launch of Olympic. Apparently they weren't that interesting, because the ship being in service wasn't anything to write in the book about. But we sure spent some time on Titanic's lifeboats.
I'm not sure the book went into as much detail about any other event in the book than it did for Titanic. It's like the book suddenly changed into a short synopsis on the Titanic disaster for one chapter. A quick summary of what happened and how it affected shipping at the time and specifically Hapag would have made sense. Instead that whole thing ended with 'and nothing really changed for Hapag—ONWARD!' Everything included about the passengers and individuals affected could have been done without giving us A Night To Remember Abridged. People who wanted to read about the Titanic disaster could have picked up any number of books literally titled Titanic. This one is last ships from Hamburg. How did this get left in the final draft, I have to ask?
I also had difficulties with the citations. I admit I was listening to the audiobook, so there is the possibility of footnotes that I could not see, that were not read to me, and I will assume that they exist. My difficulty was more in when evidence was not presented and specificity of that evidence. Without going into too much detail, the first half of the book is filled with statements, opinions, and suggestions without saying how we know they are true. This was driving me up the wall. I was given tidbits. I remember an, 'according to his granddaughter,' which, okay, tells me it's from an interview or something. There was a, 'no record exists but we do know,' except it was followed by not telling us how we know. But then there were things left hanging by themselves, no source, making them sound like speculation or assumption. I do not like this from my nonfiction. We were given a newspaper headline at one point without being told what newspaper or who the editor was. I felt a LOT better about this in the second half of the book, where whole passages were cited and direct quotes were everywhere. But that first half, man. That first half.
But all these things still result in a 3-star review because I learned some great stuff in this book! So the first half made me rant about the importance of citations and the Titanic chapter was a slog and I feel like I missed a bunch of stuff because I don't speak German or any of the Jewish languages and stuff was definitely said and left undefined (Making me feel like this book maybe wasn't intended for me) but there was a lot about the shipping businesses, the waltz of governments, and the immigrant experience that I had not heard before, and so, I consider my lifetime not wasted by spending some on this book. It was more painful to get through than I would have liked, but I'm glad that I read it.
Much of this review is patched together from my messages to friends while reading it 😂 So I hope I am remembering everything correctly. If I have misremembered something specific, I apologize.
March 25, 2024
Between 1880 and the start of World War I, 1.5 million of Jews left the violently anti-Semitic Russian Empire for the United States, and at least half of them left on ships owned by HAPAG, a Hamburg-based shipping company. This book is the story of how HAPAG executive Albert Ballin made this happen.
As immigration exploded, Germans worried about being overwhelmed by millions of migrants, much as Americans fear a surge of immigration today. Ballin solved the problem by offering to take control of the Russian/German border. Under his (successful) plan, German shipping companies would take over border control stations, inspect would-be emigrants for contagious disease, sell them tickets to the U.S. (if they had not already purchased such tickets) and turn back those who wanted to stay in Germany. Everyone benefitted: Ballin's company got customers, Germany got to limit immigration from Russia, and the immigrants got to escape Russia for the U.S. However, the shipping business was crushed in World War I, as ship-vs-ship warfare made immigration impossible. And after World War I, the U.S. limited immigration significantly.
This book is mostly business history, and thus might be a bit dry for people who don't enjoy business journalism. However, it is full of interesting little facts. In particular, the book describes the experience of traveling in steerage: even though Jewish customers got kosher food (good), they didn't have much space; tables were next to bunks, and even though there were partitions between family groups, people could see into (and smell) each other's compartments. Even in good weather, ships shook violently because of the vibrations of their engines, especially in the lower decks where steerage bunks were. When seas were uneven, ships rolled and caused seasickness.
The book also goes on some tangents that are not always very related to the main story- but some of the tangents are interesting too. Because J.P. Morgan invested in a competitor of Ballin's and sought to buy him out, the book briefly describes him and his life. During the 1890s recession, Morgan saved the U.S. from an economic disaster by arranging for a syndicate of bankers to put up funds to guarantee the solvency of the U.S. government. And when a 1907 financial panic threatened the economy, Morgan cooperated with other bankers to bail out the economy. I got the impression from this book that although Morgan (unlike Ballin) was not tremendously likable, he nevertheless did great things.
As immigration exploded, Germans worried about being overwhelmed by millions of migrants, much as Americans fear a surge of immigration today. Ballin solved the problem by offering to take control of the Russian/German border. Under his (successful) plan, German shipping companies would take over border control stations, inspect would-be emigrants for contagious disease, sell them tickets to the U.S. (if they had not already purchased such tickets) and turn back those who wanted to stay in Germany. Everyone benefitted: Ballin's company got customers, Germany got to limit immigration from Russia, and the immigrants got to escape Russia for the U.S. However, the shipping business was crushed in World War I, as ship-vs-ship warfare made immigration impossible. And after World War I, the U.S. limited immigration significantly.
This book is mostly business history, and thus might be a bit dry for people who don't enjoy business journalism. However, it is full of interesting little facts. In particular, the book describes the experience of traveling in steerage: even though Jewish customers got kosher food (good), they didn't have much space; tables were next to bunks, and even though there were partitions between family groups, people could see into (and smell) each other's compartments. Even in good weather, ships shook violently because of the vibrations of their engines, especially in the lower decks where steerage bunks were. When seas were uneven, ships rolled and caused seasickness.
The book also goes on some tangents that are not always very related to the main story- but some of the tangents are interesting too. Because J.P. Morgan invested in a competitor of Ballin's and sought to buy him out, the book briefly describes him and his life. During the 1890s recession, Morgan saved the U.S. from an economic disaster by arranging for a syndicate of bankers to put up funds to guarantee the solvency of the U.S. government. And when a 1907 financial panic threatened the economy, Morgan cooperated with other bankers to bail out the economy. I got the impression from this book that although Morgan (unlike Ballin) was not tremendously likable, he nevertheless did great things.
July 16, 2024
An excellent, well-researched book about the politics and the business leaders that brought about the exodus of so many Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire to America. The business leaders at the heart of this operation were Jacob Schiff, the wealthy humanitarian at the head of the former Kuhn, Loeb and Partners investment bank, Albert Ballin, who rose from poverty to lead the Hamburg-American steamship line, and J.P. Morgan, who enlarged his empire from banking, railroads, steel and more by inserting his millions into the steamship business.
The book covers the period from the early 1880s to just before World War I, when millions made their way from Europe to America in escape from persecution and the violence of the pogroms, in search of a better life. It focuses almost entirely on the immigration routes to New York (as opposed to other ports of entry), where the largest number entered the United States, and conditions and key events there such as the Triangle Fire. It reaches heavily into the German-Jewish "aristocracy" of the leading banking and mercantile families such as the Warburgs, analyzes the politics and reigns of Kaiser Wilhelm and the Russian Tsars, but also delves deeply into the powerful anti-immigration policies of politicians such as Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, the writer Madison Grant, and others.
Even though my own family, which the exception of one grandfather, made their way to America from "Russia" before the largest swell of immigration occurred, and none came through or settled in New York, I found this enlightening reading. Considering the anti-immigration attitudes of some current politicians, we are today seeing a true example of what is meant by the adage that "Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it", though most of the immigrants are of very different backgrounds than those of 125 years ago.
The book covers the period from the early 1880s to just before World War I, when millions made their way from Europe to America in escape from persecution and the violence of the pogroms, in search of a better life. It focuses almost entirely on the immigration routes to New York (as opposed to other ports of entry), where the largest number entered the United States, and conditions and key events there such as the Triangle Fire. It reaches heavily into the German-Jewish "aristocracy" of the leading banking and mercantile families such as the Warburgs, analyzes the politics and reigns of Kaiser Wilhelm and the Russian Tsars, but also delves deeply into the powerful anti-immigration policies of politicians such as Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, the writer Madison Grant, and others.
Even though my own family, which the exception of one grandfather, made their way to America from "Russia" before the largest swell of immigration occurred, and none came through or settled in New York, I found this enlightening reading. Considering the anti-immigration attitudes of some current politicians, we are today seeing a true example of what is meant by the adage that "Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it", though most of the immigrants are of very different backgrounds than those of 125 years ago.
February 10, 2024
This review is for the audiobook. I enjoyed the book tremendously. It covers the history of the various shipping company which worked to transport many Jewish immigrants from country, particularly Russia, where they were being treated so terribly. The book report the rivalry between many of the shipping companies, some facing Germany, some in the US, and some in Britain. The timeframe is the early 1900s, leading up to World War I and a bit of time following that. Most interesting were that some of the major companies were owned, and/or led by Jewish men who worked so diligently to be able to transport Jewish families from places where the living conditions were terrible to the US. There was competition between the companies on a business basis, but the aim is was to help Jewish immigrants. The book is well-researched and I particularly enjoyed the background in history of the companies involved in this humanitarian effort, and having their leaders’ personalities and their interests described so well. A great read for those of you who like non-fiction and learning little-known historical facts.
February 10, 2024
In choosing this book I made a mistake for I read the big print title, about "Last Ship" and not the smaller print about the "Race to save ......". I expected the book to be about ship history- which it encompasses in terms of ships built to encourage and permit immigration, but it does not include a history of ships that included both cargo and passenger ships. As I read on realizing my mistake, I got quite engaged in the scope of ship money magnates in the 1800s and early 1900s.
Mostly the book seemed to be about Albert Ballin. The plethora of names and who did what has not stock in my brain. I misquoted who did what when trying to tell someone about the book. However, in the long run, I understood the conditions that Jews faced in their European homes, the lengths they had to go to in discomfort to get to the US and the crowded housing that faced them in New York and their ship trip to get there.
Above all, I came away with sadness that Jews had been more persecuted throughout the ages that I had realized.
Mostly the book seemed to be about Albert Ballin. The plethora of names and who did what has not stock in my brain. I misquoted who did what when trying to tell someone about the book. However, in the long run, I understood the conditions that Jews faced in their European homes, the lengths they had to go to in discomfort to get to the US and the crowded housing that faced them in New York and their ship trip to get there.
Above all, I came away with sadness that Jews had been more persecuted throughout the ages that I had realized.
March 7, 2024
At its core, this book is a biography of the shipping magnate Albert Ballin, who rose to influence as the manager of the Hamburg-America Line, in spite of being of Jewish descent. That Ballin became so successful was a result of how he was able to exploit the great wave of immigration to the United States, many of whom were Jewish folk seeking to escape the anti-Jewish policy of the regime of Tsar Alexander III. Everything else that Ujifusa covers in his intricate narrative stems from these two points, as he further explores the rise and fall of mass immigration before 1914, the cut and thrust of the commercial shipping business in this period, and providing a kaleidoscopic portrait of the "Belle Epoch" before the Great War. A war that broke Ballin as a businessman and a person; along with so many others.
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February 4, 2024Steven Ujifusa’s The Last Ships From Hamburg uses the biography of Albert Ballin, whose shipping company was responsible for a significant portion of European emigration to the U.S. around the turn of the last century, as a foundation to explore a series of intertwined histories. Ujifusa focuses largely on the Jewish experience, including Jewish-American cultural history, shifting tides of anti-semitism in Germany, Russia, and the U.S., and snapshots of immigrants’ lives from the shtetl to tenement and beyond. But there’s plenty for those with a more general interest in U.S. history, particularly his explorations of American attitudes towards immigration and U.S. immigration laws. It never ceases to amaze me how little the immigration debate has changed in 150 years in some respects.
December 28, 2023
I did not (unfortunately) get too far reading this book. I found the style to be deadening, and lost interest right away. I couldn't even finish the first chapter. And, speaking about this chapter there's a discrepancy (two pages apart) with how many children Albert Ballin's father (Samuel) had with his second wife, Amalia. This is not good. The book was not proofread, and the three outside editors the author used to "look over" the manuscript before submitting it to the publisher obviously did not see this glaring error. I was really looking forward in reading "The Last Ships from Hamburg," but it was not to be.
July 7, 2023
I loved this book. This is great story-telling. It reads more like a novel than nonfiction. I found the story compelling and impossible to put down. The biographical information is excellent as are the historical details, yet the story never gets bogged down. The book is fast paced; there is no lingering, yet the book feels unrushed. The story itself is fascinating and filled a huge gap in my knowledge, a gap I didn’t even know I had. Thank you to Edelweiss and HarperCollins for the digital review copy.
April 4, 2024
of great interest to me as my family left Russian pale in 1907 and always wondered how they could figure out to logistics and maze the one would have had to go through to get to and into America... this book explains it all! well researched with good insights into the geo-political and economic realities of the time cross many countries from USA to England to Germany to Russia and even into Japan.
November 15, 2023
A must-read story of forgotten American history, the business of immigration, and survival. The book has a big sweep but it's told through vibrant characters-- some of whom I knew, and some of whom I didn't-- which makes this a rare book I can see my father enjoying and my mother recommending to her book group.
January 14, 2024
I received this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway.
This was a confusing book, there was no continuity and little relationship to ships from Hamburg. There was a lot of background information, which could be good, but it got in the way of the story the author was trying to tell. The one saving note was the pictures which were the only reason I kept at the book.
This was a confusing book, there was no continuity and little relationship to ships from Hamburg. There was a lot of background information, which could be good, but it got in the way of the story the author was trying to tell. The one saving note was the pictures which were the only reason I kept at the book.
March 6, 2024
The book focuses on the three men who were rivals in establishing the shipping industry. Ballin and Schiff were also trying to get Jews out of repressive Russia and realized those steerage passengers were the profits that allowed them to grow. JP Morgan was their rival. I liked the many tangential topics and it’s surprising how much this book adds to WWI knowledge
April 28, 2024
Did not finish. The subtitle of this book is very misleading. I made it pretty far but then I just had to give up. The book is really about the rivalry between ship owners and very little about Jewish immigration. I definitely thought I was going to be reading a far different book.
May 4, 2024
This story was so interesting to me, about the big shipping magnates of Hamburg before and after the first WW. Many well known names, families whose descendants still live in the city today, and how their history intersected with American magnates like J.P.Morgan as well.
June 10, 2024
There is a bit of repetition in this book, but it details in depth the role that Albert Ballin played in getting the Jews out of Russia during WWi. While I was familiar with the other shipping magnates, this was the first I learned about Balin.
June 15, 2024
I enjoyed this book. It is so interesting hearing how Jews were treated, how they were being brought to the US, and how limitations on immigration came about. It also touches on the ideas that would bring us into WWII.
August 16, 2024
This was a nice history of the history of Jewish immigration to the US from Russia although the title is bit misleading. It covers a much wider period than just WWI but the writing is good and moves nicely.
January 20, 2024
A good book on explaining how the robber barons used people to make money on transportation.A look at the feels about the Jews world wide.
January 28, 2024
How did all those immigrants from eastern and southern Europe get to the US from 1880 to 1914? This book ably recounts what happened and the major personalities involved.
January 29, 2024
Phenomenal. Thank you for writing such a wonderful book.
February 22, 2024
4.5 due to my personal interest in the subject.
February 25, 2024
Outstanding description, challenges, and events of the massive migration from Europe to the USA from 1890 - 1915!
March 13, 2024
Interesting but probably should have been satisfied with podcasts interview
April 20, 2024
Interesting recounting of how Jews escaped from Russia and Eastern Europe to the US before the new immigrations laws shut them out.
July 5, 2024
An important 30 years of history narrated in an approachable voice and structured for the reader’s ease and introspection.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews