Check our submissions guidelines page to see when we re-open.
News
26 April, 2024
JDA is closed to unsolicited queries as of 4/26/24.
26 February, 2024
LIGAMENTS, Roy A. Meals MD
Clinical Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at UCLA and author of BONES and MUSCLE sheds light on a body system of fibrous connective tissues that quite literally holds us together. Ligaments attach bone to
bone, providing structure, support and stability. (World English, Johns Hopkins University Press, Spring 2026)
21 February, 2024
THE COUNTERFEIT COUNTESS: The Jewish Woman Who Rescued Thousands of Poles During the Holocaust, Elizabeth B. White and Joanna Sliwa
“Powerful. . . . A heart-wrenching profile of resilience, ingenuity, and heroism.” ― Publishers Weekly
“A fine delineation of personal heroism amid an era of utter human depravity.” ― Kirkus Reviews
“Holocaust historians White and Sliwa masterfully piece together the previously untold story of a Jewish mathematician who, during the Nazi occupation of Poland, masqueraded as a countess while she helped free and feed thousands of Poles imprisoned at the Majdanek concentration camp.” ― Library Journal (starred review)
THE COUNTERFEIT COUNTESS: The Jewish Woman Who Rescued Thousands of Poles During the Holocaust (Simon & Schuster, January 2024) tells the astonishing story of Dr. Josephine Janina Mehlberg—a
Jewish mathematician who saved thousands of lives in Nazi-occupied Poland by masquerading as a Polish aristocrat—drawing on Mehlberg’s own unpublished memoir.
World War II and the Holocaust have given rise to many stories of resistance and rescue, but The Counterfeit Countess is unique. It tells the remarkable, unknown story of “Countess Janina Suchodolska,” a Jewish woman who rescued more than 10,000 Poles imprisoned by Poland’s Nazi occupiers.
Mehlberg operated in Lublin, Poland, headquarters of Aktion Reinhard, the SS operation that murdered 1.7 million Jews in occupied Poland. Using the identity papers of a Polish aristocrat, she worked as a welfare official while also serving in the Polish resistance. With guile, cajolery, and steely persistence, the “Countess” persuaded SS officials to release thousands of Poles from the Majdanek concentration camp. She won permission to deliver food and medicine—even decorated Christmas trees—for thousands more of the camp’s prisoners. At the same time, she personally smuggled supplies and messages to resistance fighters imprisoned at Majdanek, where 63,000 Jews were murdered in gas chambers and shooting pits. Incredibly, she eluded detection, and ultimately survived the war and emigrated to the US.
Drawing on the manuscript of Mehlberg’s own unpublished memoir, supplemented with prodigious research, Elizabeth White and Joanna Sliwa, professional historians and Holocaust experts, have uncovered the full story of this remarkable woman. They interweave Mehlberg’s sometimes harrowing personal testimony with broader historical narrative. Like The Light of Days, Schindler’s List, and Irena’s Children, The Counterfeit Countess is an unforgettable account of inspiring courage in the face of unspeakable cruelty.
Jewish mathematician who saved thousands of lives in Nazi-occupied Poland by masquerading as a Polish aristocrat—drawing on Mehlberg’s own unpublished memoir.World War II and the Holocaust have given rise to many stories of resistance and rescue, but The Counterfeit Countess is unique. It tells the remarkable, unknown story of “Countess Janina Suchodolska,” a Jewish woman who rescued more than 10,000 Poles imprisoned by Poland’s Nazi occupiers.
Mehlberg operated in Lublin, Poland, headquarters of Aktion Reinhard, the SS operation that murdered 1.7 million Jews in occupied Poland. Using the identity papers of a Polish aristocrat, she worked as a welfare official while also serving in the Polish resistance. With guile, cajolery, and steely persistence, the “Countess” persuaded SS officials to release thousands of Poles from the Majdanek concentration camp. She won permission to deliver food and medicine—even decorated Christmas trees—for thousands more of the camp’s prisoners. At the same time, she personally smuggled supplies and messages to resistance fighters imprisoned at Majdanek, where 63,000 Jews were murdered in gas chambers and shooting pits. Incredibly, she eluded detection, and ultimately survived the war and emigrated to the US.
Drawing on the manuscript of Mehlberg’s own unpublished memoir, supplemented with prodigious research, Elizabeth White and Joanna Sliwa, professional historians and Holocaust experts, have uncovered the full story of this remarkable woman. They interweave Mehlberg’s sometimes harrowing personal testimony with broader historical narrative. Like The Light of Days, Schindler’s List, and Irena’s Children, The Counterfeit Countess is an unforgettable account of inspiring courage in the face of unspeakable cruelty.
Reviews:
21 February, 2024
STOLEN CANYON: The Race to Own the Grand Canyon and the Betrayal of the Indigenous People of the West, Deborah J. Swiss
From the author of THE TIN TICKET, the dramatic frontier tale of how one of our greatest natural treasures, the Grand Canyon, was stolen from the eleven tribes who inhabited it. While the Santa Fe Railway and hospitality magnate Fred Harvey were transforming an isolated wilderness and holy site into a travel destination, the US government continued its mission to extinguish a way of life. Historian
Swiss draws on first-hand accounts, restoring the voices of Indigenous people to their rightful place. (University of Utah Press, World rights, Spring 2026)
Swiss draws on first-hand accounts, restoring the voices of Indigenous people to their rightful place. (University of Utah Press, World rights, Spring 2026)
13 January, 2024
THE PARENT’S GUIDE TO BOARDING SCHOOLS, Kristin White
From education consultant White, a comprehensive insider guide to navigating the process of applying to boarding schools, including choosing the right school, the application process, sports recruiting,
putting together arts and music portfolios and more. (Rowman & Littlefield, World English, 2025)
26 October, 2023
WE ARE CURRENTLY CLOSED TO UNSOLICITED QUERIES
Please note that we are pausing queries. We’ll update the submission guidelines on the website when that changes. Thank you. –Joelle Delbourgo
25 October, 2023
Now in audio!
STRESS-FREE DISCIPLINE: Simple Strategies for Handling Common Behavior Problems, by Sara Au and Peter Stavinoha, is now in audio along with print and ebook, all from Harper Leadership.
27 June, 2023
REAR WINDOW: The Making of a Masterpiece in the Hollywood Golden Age, Jennifer O’Callaghan
The making of Alfred Hitchcok’s Rear Window, widely hailed as one of the greatest films ever made, and its ongoing influence on the American cultural landscape by an entertainment reporter. 
(Kensington/World Rights/Spring 2025)
22 June, 2023
Renner
James Renner is a journalist and author of several works of fiction and nonfiction, including the novel The Man from Primrose Lane (Picador/Macmillan, 2013), and True Crime Addict (Picador/Macmillan, 2017). His latest true crime thriller, Little, Crazy Children (Citadel/Kensington), was released in June,
2023. He is the host of the podcasts, True Crime This Week and The Philosophy of Crime. He also serves as the executive director of The Porchlight Project, a nonprofit that raises funds for DNA testing and genetic genealogy for Ohio cold cases. www.jamesrenner.com
2023. He is the host of the podcasts, True Crime This Week and The Philosophy of Crime. He also serves as the executive director of The Porchlight Project, a nonprofit that raises funds for DNA testing and genetic genealogy for Ohio cold cases. www.jamesrenner.com
16 June, 2023
THE DANCING WOMAN, Elaine Orr
From the author of A Different Sun and Swimming Between Worlds, and Professor of Literature at NC State University comes a mesmerizing new novel. Set against the backdrop of Nigeria on the edge of civil war during the 1960s, a young epat woman artist, torn between two men, struggles to find her passion
and purpose. (Blair Publishing/World Rights, Fall 2024)