Roller-Coaster Grandma: The Amazing Story of Dr. Ruth

She lived an amazing life! Dr. Ruth was an orphan and a soldier; a professor and a star; and a struggling new immigrant coming to America.

This graphic novel for ages 8-12 depicts the ups and downs of Dr. Ruth Westheimer's life from her escape from the Nazis at age 10 aboard a Kindertransport, to her training as a sniper with the Hagganah in Israel, through her immigration to the US where she started as a maid working for a dollar an hour. 

Through hard work, charisma, and a willingness to face new challenges, she became a college professor and a worldwide media star. Her drive for education and her love of reading and teaching lasted through out her life. Her fans included Paul McCartney, President Barack Obama, David Letterman, and, of course, her family.

Combining real flashbacks to Dr. Ruth's life as a girl with an imaginary trip to an amusement park with her grandchildren, Dr. Ruth's inspiring story is a lesson in grit, courage, resilience, and strength that readers can apply to their own lives.

Back matter includes a timeline, a brief profile of Karola Ruth Siegel at age 10, and a biography of the adult Dr. Ruth at age 80. 

Mark Simmons is a 2009 graduate of the Academy of Art University. His specialties include comics, storyboards, sequential art, and giant robots. His work can be seen in Capstone's "Nickolas Flux History Chronicles" series, the British sci-fi anthology "2000 AD," the iPad games "Santa's Village," "Run Monkey Run," and "Get Rocky," and his website at www.ultimatemark.com.