Golden-haired Irma grew up in Imperial Austria believing that wars and
prejudice were fading-only to have her life upended and her identity
challenged to the core by two world wars.

History confronts Irma time and again. Arch-Nazi Adolf Eichmann plays a
twisted role in the fate of her prominent Jewish politician husband,
Jakob Ehrlich, and her own escape from Vienna. After arriving with her
son first in London and then in New York, Irma encounters a dazzling
world of power elites, including Chaim Weizmann (the first president of
Israel), British parliamentarians, and other renowned figures, and
ultimately gets a chance to bring relief to refugees-an effort to which
she devotes herself wholeheartedly.

Narrated alternately by Irma's granddaughter, Catherine, and Irma
herself, this account of Irma's journey from Czech country girl to
grande dame in New York is a riveting, intimate tale of aspiration,
activism, and world-changing national movements. Part personal memoir,
part historical drama, Irma's Passport is ultimately a tribute to human
dignity, a story in which one woman can restore the lives of many and
courage is a victory in itself.