The Journey of a Lifetime
Publisher: Alfabet
The Holland America Line and Transatlantic Migration
It’s 1891 when George Reuchlin sails to New York City on the newest ship of the Holland America Line, the Rotterdam-based steamship company cofounded by his father Otto Reuchlin. George is only sixteen, but he is already destined to follow in his father’s footsteps. More then twenty years later, in 1912, he waves his family goodbye as he boards the Titanic. Like so many others, George does not survive its sinking. His shocking and untimely death has a tremendous impact on his family and the world beyond.
Between George’s first and last trip across the ocean, approximately thirteen million people – including many Jews from East-Europe and Russia – emigrated from Europe to America. Together with other European steamship companies, the Holland America Line played a crucial part in this exodus. Without the competitive urge to build the biggest possible ships, migration to the United States could never have taken place on such a massive scale. The story of George Reuchlins’ life is inextricably linked to this European Exodus. While there may have been an ocean of separation between his life as a first-class passenger and the lives of the emigrants in third class, they all had one thing in common: a desire for a home of their own.
Praise:
‘Sharp (…) Fascinating (…) I’m still racking my brain as to how Boland pulled it off. Let’s stick with talent.’ –Trouw
‘Reuchlin’s journey brings to life the rather unknown world of transatlantic steamship navigation. Even with all the documents and facts, Boland succeeds in bringing her story close to the reader. Once you begin reading, you cannot stop. Written in a pleasant style until the very last page. ‘ – NRC, *****
