Nothing Could Stop Her: The Courageous Life of Ruth Gruber

Nothing Could Stop Her: The Courageous Life of Ruth Gruber — page 9
One day Ruth's teacher knocked on the door of the Grubers apartment Ruth hid behind the bedroom door as her mother and the teacher spoke Did she do something wrong Mrs. Gruber asked No no I just wanted to tell you to take good care of her She loves books so much I'm sure that someday she's going to be a writer Ruth never forgot those words In 1920 the United States government made drinking or selling liquor illegal Mr. Gruber closed his liquor store and began working in real estate Meanwhile the children were getting too big for the small house Irving was five Ruth was eleven Betty was thirteen and Bob and Harry were growing into young men In 1921 the Grubers bought a house on Bushwick Avenue It was only a mile away from Moore Street but to Ruth it was a new world Historic Tensions Poland was sandwiched between two powerful neighbors Russia to the east and Germany to the west Both these countries invaded and controlled parts of Poland in the 1700s and 1800s After World War I Poland regained its independence But many Poles remained suspicious of Germans and Russians And many Protestant Germans distrusted Catholic and Jewish Poles NOTHING COULD STOP HER 12