Dan Neuburger novel traces how the Holocaust began

Dan Neuburger’s historical novel The Last to Leave, out Nov. 9, 2026, uses his family’s true story to examine how antisemitism, silence and discriminatory laws helped normalize persecution in Nazi Germany. The book and his related presentation aim to show how hatred takes root before it turns violent.

Why it matters: - The Last to Leave shifts the focus from the Holocaust’s end to the warning signs that came before it. - The novel frames antisemitism as something that became normalized through everyday choices, laws and silence. - Neuburger’s message is aimed at readers thinking about prejudice and how societies accept what once seemed unacceptable.

What happened: - Author and speaker Dan Neuburger is releasing The Last to Leave on November 9, 2026. - The historical novel is inspired by Neuburger’s German-Jewish family and their experiences in Bavaria between 1923 and 1939. - Neuburger spent nearly a decade researching family records, archival materials and historical sources to reconstruct his father’s early life. - His father, Werner, was orphaned as a young child and escaped Nazi Germany for the United States at age 3. - Kirkus Reviews called the book “a compelling and gut-wrenching portrait of Germany’s radicalization and the effects of quiet resistance.”

The details: - The novel follows a family that had lived alongside neighbors in Bavaria for generations. - As antisemitism deepened in German society and law, those community bonds broke down. - The story moves from exclusion to fear, isolation and persecution. - Neuburger said the research began as an effort to understand his father’s childhood. - Neuburger said he gradually reconstructed what happened through archival research, historical records and conversations with relatives. - The book examines how prejudice becomes normalized, how institutions legitimize discrimination and how ordinary silence can enable hatred. - Neuburger said the forces that allow hatred to take root include scapegoating, dehumanization, fear and silence. - He said understanding that process matters now because antisemitism and other forms of hatred are increasingly visible. - The paperback will be sold through Amazon and major booksellers. - The eBook will be available on Kindle. - More information is available at TheLastToLeave.com.

Between the lines: - The book is positioned as both a family story and a broader warning about moral drift. - Neuburger’s focus on gradual change suggests the book is meant to show how atrocities can become possible long before violence peaks. - The timing taps into current concern about antisemitism and the social mechanisms that let hate spread. - Neuburger’s background as a former CEO and board director adds a leadership-and-responsibility lens to the project. - His presentation, When History Echoes, extends the same themes through historical records, family documents and photographs.

What's next: - The Last to Leave publishes Nov. 9, 2026. - Neuburger will continue promoting the novel through his speaking program When History Echoes. - The book’s release will be followed by availability in paperback, on Kindle and through major retailers. - Neuburger will continue connecting his family’s history to questions about responsibility, silence and response to hatred.

The bottom line: - The Last to Leave is a Holocaust-era novel built around one central question: what happens when good people stay silent while prejudice becomes policy.