ABOUT THE BOOK

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• A dramatic, personalized account of the Holocaust;
• Based on the true story of Kurt and Hennie Reiner, it provides a comprehensive understanding of the political, socio-economic, theological, and psychological factors inherent to the Holocaust in Vienna, Austria; 
• A riveting memoir interwoven with more than 100 individualized events placed into historical context;  
• Contains dozens of original source documents (pictures, artifacts) that directly support the narrative;
• Provides a vivid portrait of the fears and obstacles confronted by the population of Viennese Jews fleeing the Holocaust;
• The Reiners' flight from Austria profoundly depicts the anti-Semitism Jews confronted migrating across Europe, particularly in Italy and France;
• Conveys the message of the importance of America to immigrants from nations across the world;
• Written for both a general audience and for use as an educational text by Holocaust educators.  

THE FIRST PRINT EDITION MAY BE PRE-ORDERED ON AMAZON. PUBLICATION IS SCHEDULED FOR JULY 18, 2018. TO ORDER, GO TO: www.amazon.com/Counting-America-Holocaust-Chutzpah-Romance/dp/1628654910/ 

KURT REINER:

Born September 22, 1913, in Vienna, Austria. He escaped Europe with his wife, Hennie, in May 1940. His professional career as an aeronautical electrical design engineer began in the shipyards of Salem and Portland, Oregon, shortly after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Kurt Reiner contributed to the defense industry of America for over 40 years. He began writing his autobiography in 1975 at the age of 62, and spent the next 10 years writing notes and short essays of the events he experienced during his youth, the Holocaust, and his adult and married life in America. Recognizing the importance of teaching youth of all religious faiths and ethnicities about the Holocaust, he lectured on several occasions at local high schools in New York until his death in 1985. Kurt Reiner remained married for 44 years. His three children, six grand-children, four great-grandchildren, and the Holocaust story of Vienna (Counting on America) persist as his legacy to society.  

GARY D. REINER:  

This is a first-time memoir for the 72-year-old co-author, Gary D. Reiner, M.S. Criminal Justice Administration, American University. It was not until his retirement four years ago that Mr. Reiner acted on his commitment to finish the story that he promised his father he would some day publish. Prior to retirement, Gary served as a Clinical Psychologist Specialist in the U.S. Army during the Viet Nam era; and spent nearly thirty years as a criminal justice consultant and project director after he returned to civilian life. In his role as consultant, he designed operational programs for federal, state, and local criminal justice systems. Federal national and model programs directed by Gary Reiner include:  “Judicial Education Program on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism,” "Ex-Offender Employment," and “Supervised Release.”  His earlier career demanded investigative research, information management and analysis, planning, technical writing and curriculum development. He put all of those skills to work in the process of completing Counting on America. Mr. Reiner is married and has three children.   

• 6X9 
• Approximately 260 pages
• Dozens of original source and pictures

•   "I also know that many of the non‑Jews, swayed by the political environment, became successful Nazis, a professional occupation that required no more skill than a Neanderthal."
•  "Then, in another contentious growl — Nazis almost always roared when they spoke — the inspector said …"
•  " Tradition may not be something that is practiced every day, but it every day defines who you are."  
• "Aside from being a real son-of-a-bitch, he was also a swindler and mass murderer. Beyond that, I have nothing nice to say about him." 
• "The untrained barber had transformed into the skilled barbarian."
• "In Dachau, the abhorrent existence of aberration defined normalcy within that environment."
•  "He died with no answers that day, in the company of solitude — his only friend." 
• "Illusion masked our situation and allowed it to evolve into an imaginary parable of wondrous sequels. The truth is we were contained within a habitat surrounded by hornets looking for any opportunity to sting."