In the distance I could hear what I thought was intermittent machine gun fire, imagining that it came from the marines who had a garrison in town.
Experience a whole lifetime in Henry Kent's inspiring memoir, A Slice of Life. Beginning with the German bombing of Rotterdam in 1940, this harrowing saga tells the true story of one man's journey from Jewish refugee to American family man.
Hans Kats is twenty-six years old when the Germans attack his hometown. After fleeing to the United States, he attempts to forge a life for himself in a tool factory in Springfield, Vermont.
But Kats remains determined to help his home country and eventually joins the US Army's Counter Intelligence Corps, changing his name to "Henry Kent" to disguise his Jewish ancestry. After ferreting out German spies, befriending concentration camp survivors, and gathering information for troop movements, Kent finally witnesses the end of World War II and returns home.
Back in the United States, Kent makes a major life change by becoming a Christian pastor. This move, however, ultimately kindles a desire to reconnect with his Jewish roots, sending him on a spiritual journey that lasts a lifetime.
About the Author: Henry Kent, born Hans Kats, was born in the Netherlands. When the Germans invaded in 1940, Kent fled with his family to the United States. He then served as a linguist for the Counter Intelligence Corps for the remainder of World War II before earning a bachelor's degree from UCLA and a master's of divinity degree from the San Francisco Theological Seminary. He worked as a Presbyterian pastor in California for twenty-five years before retiring in 1972 to travel, write, and spend time with his family. Kent passed away in 2012.
Karen Kent is a poet and a Center for Courage and Renewal facilitator of Courage to Teach programs. She enjoyed a thirty-year career in teaching while co-authoring several professional articles and two books. A book of her poetry and photography, Loving and Caregiving: A Journey Through Poetry and Photography, was published in 2009 by Blurb.com. Henry and Karen were married in 1979.
