50 Years in America (ePub)

Arnold, the son of the highly
respected doctor, Dr. Paul M. and Martha Dora von der Porten, was born in
Hamburg, Germany. He saw the rise of Hitler. On October 14, 1933 his father
sent him to Jamaica, British West Indies, with a trunk full of clothes and M100,
the maximum amount of money the Nazis allowed people to take out of the
country. The boy was only 15 at the time. At least that way he did not share
the fate of several of his relatives who were murdered by the Nazis.

Arnold describes his many adventures
including his internment during the Second World War in his first book: The
Nine Lives of Arnold.

On the 16th of January 1953 he
and his wife, Amy, decided to migrate to the United States. There was a lot of
unemployment in this country at that time. Fortunately Arnold had a trade, neon
glassblowing, which was very much in demand. Still, it was very difficult for a
foreigner to get established. Not until he graduated from the Rutgers
University in 1965 did life gradually become easier. By that time Amy and
Arnold had four lovely children.

Now, after very eventfu150 years
he shares his story with anyone who is interested in the happenings in the
U.S.A. during the second half of the 2Oth century. Many people who have read The
Nine Lives of Arnold have begged Arnold to write how he fared after he left
Kingston, Jamaica. At last his readers have a chance to find out, and they
shall not be bored. That is a promise.