As Nazi Germany cracked down on Jewish, communist, and all “non-Aryan” peoples, persecuted scholars tried desperately to leave the country by finding employment in non-Axis countries, particularly the United States. But despite the stakes, thousands were denied employment or visas due to their ethnicity or politics. Well Worth Saving: American Universities’ Life-and-death Decisions on Refugees From Nazi Europe (Yale University Press) follows the lives of several refugee academics during World War II and the Holocaust who were denied entry to the U.S., and how they fought to escape from the horrors of Nazism.