Charles Ota Heller

I found the story told by Ambassador Norman Eisen in THE LAST PALACE fascinating for a number of reasons. Perhaps chief among them is the fact that I lived, for the first twelve years of my life, less than ten miles from this place—one known as “the last palace constructed in Europe”—totally unaware of its…

Perhaps because I lost 25 members of my family in the Holocaust, or maybe because I was one of Europe’s “hidden children” during World War II, I am obsessed with the Holocaust. From the time I first began doing research for my first memoir, PRAGUE: MY LONG JOURNEY HOME, I’ve read nearly a hundred books–mostly…

I am grateful to my friend, Karen Cain, for convincing me to read James Comey’s A HIGHER LOYALTY: TRUTH, LIES, AND LEADERSHIP. I had no intention of reading it because, quite frankly, I despised Comey for swinging the 2016 presidential election in favor of a man morally and intellectually unfit to occupy the highest office…

As a hidden child during World War II and an author of a memoir about my own experiences, I have attempted to read every book I’ve been able to find about the war—particularly those about the Holocaust. Thus, for the past couple of weeks, I’ve been asking myself: “How could I have possibly not known…

No one deserves to be subjected to the tragedies which Heda Margolius Kovaly was forced to face in her amazing life. And very few could overcome them in the manner of this courageous, amazing lady. Heda was born in Prague, where she married Rudolf Margolius in 1939, a mere two weeks after the Germans occupied…

As one who survived nearly six years of Nazi occupation, I have a keen interest in World War II–why it started, how it was fought, reasons for the Holocaust, and so on. Until my friend, Dr. David Barbe, convinced me to read BLITZED, DRUGS IN NAZI GERMANY, a book by Norman Ohler, I thought I…

From The Garrett Republican newspaper: Holocaust survivor and author to speak at Garrett College MCHENRY — As part of the Joan Crawford Lecture Series of presentations this fall, Garrett College recently announced that Charles Ota Heller, Holocaust survivor and author, will speak to the community on Wednesday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m. in the Garrett…

Michael D. Dingman died of cancer last week at the age of 86. I had the privilege and honor of serving for ten years as Director of the Michael D. Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the Smith School of Business, University of Maryland. During his long career, Mike was president or CEO of a number…

Official Review: Ready, Fire, Aim! An Immigrant’s Tales of Entrepreneurial Terror Post Number:#1 by Miriam Molina » Yesterday, 04:43 [Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of “Ready, Fire, Aim! An Immigrant’s Tales of Entrepreneurial Terror” by Charles Ota Heller.] 4 out of 4 stars Review by Miriam Molina Share This Review Ready, Fire, Aim! An Immigrant’s Tales of…

From the September 28, 2017, issue of The New York Review of Books.