JAMES CLOUD was born and brought up in New Mexico shortly before the outbreak of World War II.

Cloud’s first grade teacher was Jewish. Minerva Kohn was a loved and respected woman in the community. His memories of her led to a lifelong interest in Jewish culture and traditions.

At the same time, his circle of friends and acquaintances included many people from the German-American community. The effects of World War II had a profound influence on him, leading to a lifelong fascination with these two cultures.

He developed friendships with many Jewish people during his years in Boston, where he worked at the Gillette Company.

The author’s background also includes five years at the Institute of Arts in West Berlin during the Cold War years. He developed an intimate knowledge of that city, in both West and East Berlin.

Cloud later completed a Masters Degree in German Linguistics and Literature at California State University in Fullerton, and is fluent in that language.

His more than forty years of teaching experience in German and English as a Second Language brought him contact with people of many nationalities and cultures. Cloud has attempted to bring together in his novel, his impressions gained from interactions with these groups—most especially with German and Jewish people—and how they in turn have related to each other.