Johanna Reiss
Encyclopedia
Johanna Reiss (born Johanna "Annie" de Leeuw, 4 April 1932 in Winterswijk
, Gelderland
) is a Dutch
-born American
writer and longtime resident of New York City
. Her most recent work, A Hidden Life
, was published by Melville House Publishing
in January 2009. In her books, Reiss has presented her childhood experience as a Jewish girl in The Netherlands during the Holocaust.
in the attic of a farmer called Johan Oosterveld.
After teaching elementary school for several years, she moved to the United States
in the early 1950s, where she married Jim Reiss (1932–1969). Upon the urging of her husband, she wrote a young adult novel, The Upstairs Room
, sharing her personal experience of the events of the Second World War. Published in 1972, this classic YA novel won Reiss several awards: it was a Newbery
Honor Book, an American Library Association Notable Children's Book, and a Jane Addams Peace Association Honor Book. It also won the Jewish Book Council
Juvenile Book Award and the Buxtehuder Bulle, the prestigious German children's book award. Elie Wiesel
considers The Upstairs Room
"as important in every respect as the one bequeathed to us by Anne Frank
." The book was so successful that it spawned a sequel, The Journey Back, published in 1976, which tells the story of Annie de Leuww's and her family's return to their home country of Holland in an attempt to rebuild their lives after the war.
Her latest book, A Hidden Life
, was published by Melville House Publishing
in January 2009. It is a memoir written for adults, in which Reiss confronted the memories of childhood as well as the tragedy of her husband's suicide. Reiss has two children from her later deceased husband.
Winterswijk
Winterswijk is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands.Winterswijk is a town with a population of some 30,000 in the Achterhoek which lies in the most eastern part of the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. It was also known as Winethereswick, Winriswic or Wenterswic...
, Gelderland
Gelderland
Gelderland is the largest province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Other major regional centers in Gelderland are Ede, Doetinchem, Zutphen, Tiel, Wijchen,...
) is a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer and longtime resident of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Her most recent work, A Hidden Life
A Hidden Life
A Hidden Life is a memoir by the Dutch-American author Johanna Reiss. Reiss won the Newbery Honor for her account of her experiences as a child during the Holocaust, The Upstairs Room, which was followed by a sequel The Journey Back .In A Hidden Life, Johanna Reiss recounts her visit to the home of...
, was published by Melville House Publishing
Melville House Publishing
Melville House Publishing is an independent publisher of literary fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. The company was founded in 2001 by the husband and wife team of Dennis Loy Johnson and Valerie Merians in Hoboken, New Jersey, a location Johnson jokingly called "the Left Bank" of New York City...
in January 2009. In her books, Reiss has presented her childhood experience as a Jewish girl in The Netherlands during the Holocaust.
Biography
Johanna Reiss was born, raised, and educated in Winterswijk, but she and her older sister survived the Holocaust hidden for almost three years in the rural village of UsseloUsselo
Usselo is a Dutch village in the municipality of Enschede in the eastern Netherlands in region of Twente. It is located just west of Enschede and east of Boekelo. It has existed for over 800 years. Archeology shows that the region was inhabited more or less continuously since the last ice-age. The...
in the attic of a farmer called Johan Oosterveld.
After teaching elementary school for several years, she moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the early 1950s, where she married Jim Reiss (1932–1969). Upon the urging of her husband, she wrote a young adult novel, The Upstairs Room
The Upstairs Room
The Upstairs Room is a Holocaust survivor autobiography by the author Johanna Reiss documenting her childhood in occupied Holland during the Nazi invasion...
, sharing her personal experience of the events of the Second World War. Published in 1972, this classic YA novel won Reiss several awards: it was a Newbery
Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
Honor Book, an American Library Association Notable Children's Book, and a Jane Addams Peace Association Honor Book. It also won the Jewish Book Council
Jewish Book Council
The Jewish Book Council, founded in 1944, is an organization encouraging and contributing to Jewish literature. The goal of the council, as stated on its website, is "to promote the reading, writing and publishing of quality English language books of Jewish content in North America". It is the only...
Juvenile Book Award and the Buxtehuder Bulle, the prestigious German children's book award. Elie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel
Sir Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel KBE; born September 30, 1928) is a Hungarian-born Jewish-American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He is the author of 57 books, including Night, a work based on his experiences as a prisoner in the Auschwitz, Buna, and...
considers The Upstairs Room
The Upstairs Room
The Upstairs Room is a Holocaust survivor autobiography by the author Johanna Reiss documenting her childhood in occupied Holland during the Nazi invasion...
"as important in every respect as the one bequeathed to us by Anne Frank
Anne Frank
Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank is one of the most renowned and most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Acknowledged for the quality of her writing, her diary has become one of the world's most widely read books, and has been the basis for several plays and films.Born in the city of Frankfurt...
." The book was so successful that it spawned a sequel, The Journey Back, published in 1976, which tells the story of Annie de Leuww's and her family's return to their home country of Holland in an attempt to rebuild their lives after the war.
Her latest book, A Hidden Life
A Hidden Life
A Hidden Life is a memoir by the Dutch-American author Johanna Reiss. Reiss won the Newbery Honor for her account of her experiences as a child during the Holocaust, The Upstairs Room, which was followed by a sequel The Journey Back .In A Hidden Life, Johanna Reiss recounts her visit to the home of...
, was published by Melville House Publishing
Melville House Publishing
Melville House Publishing is an independent publisher of literary fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. The company was founded in 2001 by the husband and wife team of Dennis Loy Johnson and Valerie Merians in Hoboken, New Jersey, a location Johnson jokingly called "the Left Bank" of New York City...
in January 2009. It is a memoir written for adults, in which Reiss confronted the memories of childhood as well as the tragedy of her husband's suicide. Reiss has two children from her later deceased husband.