A Most Unlikely Man Blog Tour

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Book Title and Author Name:

A Most Unlikely Man: A Tale of Resistance

by J.P. Rieger

Blurb:

Isadore Levinsky is a survivor. No stranger to concentration camps, he’s been freighted by boxcar to yet one more, possibly his last, before death by rifle or neglect. He’s survived this far because he’s done what any person would do under the circumstances: everything possible, irrespective of the consequences for others. At the nearly deserted Natzweiler-Struthof camp, Levinsky matches wits with fellow prisoner Otto Beck, a self-proclaimed pacifist, gentile and admitted liar. Beck has decreed that all food and water will be shared equally. He’s rallied the men and challenged his Nazi overseers, willingly taking their beatings and abuse. But is Beck a charismatic con man or a liberator? Previously convicted for treachery, Beck is architect of an escape plan specifically designed to assist his Nazi captors. Can Levinsky and the men survive Beck and find their way to freedom?

A Most Unlikely Man: A Tale of Resistance is a story that resonates with our own times. Uplifting and inspiring, the story draws us into a dark past we must never forget, while shining a ray of hope for our future.

Excerpt 2:

Hammel and Bauer unlocked the barracks door and dragged the two barrels inside.

Hammel barked, “Same as before. Line up.”

“Thank you, young Hammel and Bauer. We were talking about the lives we led before our imprisonment. May we continue to converse with each other while we eat and drink?”

“No! Don’t speak!”

“Okay, Hammel. We won’t.” Beck took his place at the end of the line. “It’s interesting, though, how varied our lives have been. Even though we are all here in this place at this very time, we’ve all lived very different lives. Of course, the Army High Command has all of this information about us.”

Hammel smirked. “Our High Command? Why would that be?”

“Well, I suppose the colonel didn’t tell you, but each of us is here because of the special skills we possess. Skills that could be useful to the Reich. I had presumed that the colonel would have mentioned it to you by now. My apologies.”

Bauer spoke. “You presume to know the colonel now, Beck?”

“No, of course not, Bauer. Besides a friendly wave the other day when digging the latrines, I haven’t seen him about. And he definitely has not visited us here in the barracks. If someone says he has, ignore it.”

Hammel looked over to Bauer, inquisitively. “I’ve never seen the colonel.”

Bauer shrugged. “Don’t listen to them, Hammel. Be quiet, Beck. Prisoners, just eat and take your water.”

…

“Deficient. Dig it two feet deeper. Then, as punishment, there’s bootblacking to be done. The sergeant and I will leave our boots outside our doors. You will find shoe polish and brushes in your own quarters. Use them. Shine to SS specifications, not regular army. Then take your lunch.”

Hammel watched Emmerich walk away. “I told you it wasn’t deep enough.”

Bauer sighed. “The bastard. Okay, more digging and bootblacking. But what else would we do today? Patrol. And patrol some more. Walks around the perimeter for no reason. Besides feeding and taking the Jews out to the latrine, patrolling is all we’ve done here.”

“Better than bootblacking.”

“Maybe. Have you noticed that no supply trucks have come through the gates since we’ve been here? And no one mans the gates. I watched the Polish women workers just open the gate for themselves on the way out. They get picked up by a civilian auto. I guess they live in the town.”

Hammel shook his head. “Who cares. Guard duty at the gate would be even worse punishment than bootblacking.”

…

Levinsky spoke for all to hear. “That’s clever, Beck. Trying to trick the children into thinking you’re a good friend of the colonel. What does that get us?”

“Admittedly, nothing for now. But it’s what we ‘anarchists’ do. Spread confusion.”

Several of the men chuckled.

“Fine, Beck. Waste your time and vocal cords any way you want.”

“Come now, Lev. Confusion is an important element in our plan. It’s one of the few arrows we have in our quiver.”

“Spoken like a true pacifist.”

Beck laughed. “Yes. Very good, Lev. But my arrow is not pointed and cannot harm a man’s body. Perhaps his mind, though. Now, let’s continue introducing ourselves. Who would like a turn?”

Slowly a man raised his arm. “I do. Heinz Gelbach from Leipzig. I’m fifty-eight. I’m married with two sons. Both were sent to work camps. But my wife, last time I heard, was alive and living with her sister in France on a farm. She bribed some men and crossed the border. A month later, the Nazis had taken France. But I heard that she and her sister are safe.”

“That’s encouraging, Heinz. What is your occupation?”

“I’m an airplane pilot. But I only know the single-engine, small planes. I did crop dusting. I’ve never been inside a military plane.”

“Still, being a pilot is a great skill. That must be why you’re here. I’m surprised the Nazis didn’t place you into the skilled work force.”

“Well, I think I know why they didn’t. My pilot’s license was revoked before I was seized. I had one or two small accidents, you see. If you want a pilot that can fly a single-engine plane into a windmill, I am that man.”

The men laughed.

“Very good, Heinz. Who else would like a turn.”

A man with particularly bad razor cuts on his scalp raised his hand. “Elias Matzner. I’m forty-two, from Hannover. I am a telegraph repairman. I was married but encouraged my wife to divorce me for her own safety because she was not a Jew. She did. We have a daughter and I do not know her whereabouts.”

Matzner began sobbing, gently. He collected himself, quickly, and inhaled deeply. “Sorry, sorry. So much sadness.”

“Yes, Elias, yes. We all feel as you do. Did you enjoy your work?”

“It was a trade. I was a master technician, but with all the telephones, suddenly the telegraph was not as important. So repairman was all I could be.”

“Yes. But that’s still a valuable trade. Especially at wartime.”

Matzner nodded.

“May I go next?”

“Of course!”

“Hirsch Wenig. I’m forty-nine, a widower. No living children due to pneumonia. My career may surprise you. I was a corporal in the Army. I was chief assistant to the procurement officer. I learned about barter and trade with suppliers, farmers, meatpackers, bakers, manufacturers and so on. Yes, I served my country proudly until Jews were no longer permitted to serve. And this is my reward. Now I serve my country locked up in a camp.”

“But not for long, Hirsch. Not for long.”

Buy Link:

histUniversal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/boJd5L

Author Bio:

J. Paul (J.P.) Rieger is a mostly retired Maryland attorney and author of five books, The Case Files of Roderick Misely, Consultant, a mystery featuring a wannabe lawyer anti-hero published in April, 2013, Clonk!, a police farce set in Baltimore and published in May, 2023 by Apprentice House Press (Loyola University, Maryland), The Big Comb Over, a slipstream comedy of manners published in April, 2024, Sunscreen Shower, a Clonk! sequel, published by Flock Publishing in October, 2024 and A Most Unlikely Man: A Tale of Resistance, published by Blue Cedar Press in September, 2025.

J. Paul and spouse live in Towson, Maryland. His website is www.jpaulrieger.net.