By: centraljersey.com
The Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association invites the public to take a step into the world of intrigue and international espionage at a special talk and book signing with author Sheila Isenberg on Saturday, Feb. 5, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Princeton Public Library.
Ms. Isenberg’s new book "Muriel’s War: An American Heiress in the Nazi Resistance" tells the compelling story of Watershed Association benefactor Muriel Gardiner Buttinger (1901-1985) – a courageous woman who left a life of privilege to save others during World War II and later here at home.
Born into a wealthy meat-packing dynasty in Chicago and educated at Wellesley, raven-haired beauty Muriel Gardiner renounced her family’s materialistic lifestyle and as a young woman left the United States. First studying at Oxford then attending the University of Vienna medical school, she befriended Anna Freud and studied the fledgling science of psychoanalysis just as the dark clouds of Hitler’s war were moving across Europe.
During this tumultuous time, she married twice, had a daughter and, in Vienna, fell in love with a leader of the Austrian underground. When Germany finally annexed Austria in March of 1938, Muriel began to help Jews and anti-fascists escape, smuggling forged documents across borders and risking her own life. Eventually, she left Europe for New York and settled in Hopewell.
An American heiress turned resistance hero, Muriel went on to become an eminent psychoanalyst, and was a founder of the International Rescue Committee. Her generosity laid the foundation for what is today the 860-acre Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association Reserve in Hopewell, giving a home to one of central New Jersey’s first environmental groups. The Watershed Association’s Buttinger Nature Center is named in her honor.
Drawing from Gardiner’s unpublished writings and interviews with those who knew her best, Ms. Isenberg offers Muriel’s astonishing story of moral courage and humanistic zeal. With all its twists and turns, this inspiring account reveals a heroic woman who lives on as a legend of her time.
Ms. Isenberg, a former award-winning reporter, has appeared nationally and internationally on NPR, CNN, "20/20," "The Today Show," and "Good Morning America." Born in New York City, she earned a B.A. in English from Brooklyn College and studied in the graduate English Department of Hunter College. She is now an adjunct professor of English at Marist College and lives with her husband in New York’s Hudson Valley. A few of her other works include "A Hero of Our Own: The Story of Varian Fry" (Random House) and "Women Who Love Men Who Kill" (Simon & Schuster).
Ms. Isenberg will be giving a presentation about "Muriel’s War: An American Heiress in the Nazi Resistance" followed by a Q&A session and book signing. The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Call the Watershed Association at 609-737-3735, ext. 10, or write to [email protected] to reserve a seat.
Copies of "Muriel’s War" are available for purchase at the Buttinger Nature Center, located at 31 Titus Mill Road, Pennington, for $25, including tax, and will also be for sale at the library at the event.
The Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association is central New Jersey’s first environmental group, protecting clean water and the environment through conservation, advocacy, science and education. To learn more, visit www.thewatershed.org.
