Crossing the Line

by James D. Shipman

In the Podgorze district of Krakow sits the Under the Eagle pharmacy, a family-run business that has long served Jews and Poles alike. Since Poland's occupation by German forces, Irena, a pharmacist, has watched and worried as the store's access to medications is reduced to a trickle. But now come rumors that there is more to fear than dwindling supplies.

A Jewish ghetto is under construction in Krakow, and Under the Eagle lies within its limits. Choosing to stay rather than move to the city's "Aryan" section, the pharmacy workers offer what medicine, food, and help they can to a population crammed into ever more desperate conditions. Among the ghetto's new residents is Natalia, once a medical student from a wealthy Jewish family. Securing a job at the pharmacy offers her a chance to do the work she has dreamed of and affords her loved ones some protection. Yet here, there can be no such thing as real safety.

For Elsa, a young German woman, recruitment to the SS was the only way to avoid jail after a betrayal. Assigned to the ghetto, she feels her convictions about the Fatherland crumbling. And restrictions and penalties grow worse, Irena, Natalia, and Elsa are drawn toward unexpected alliances—and decisions that could save or jeopardize not just their own lives, but the lives of countless others.

336 pages, Paperback

Published December 16, 2025

Reviews

[Courtney Pityer · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a dramatic World War II to put on your Christmas list then Crossing The Line by James D Shipman is one you need to put down. It takes place in Poland when the Nazi's are just starting to occupy the area and aoon all these new orders are being put into place. However, soon it becomes literally unsafe for everyone regardless of what your religion is. I will admit these soon to be released World War II are starting to become very more exciting.

We are introduced to three women of different backgrounds who are just trying to get by with the recent occupation of the Nazi's. We have Irena who is a pharmacist who is distressed by not only the dwindling supply of medicine but also food. Next there is Natalia a med student who secures a job at the pharmacy which is a life long dream and offers security but that could easily be ruined by the War. Lastly there is Elsa a german woman who is working for the SS to avoid jailtime for a incident that was no fault of her own. Will these ladies find the courage to survive what is thrown at them?

[Donna Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book focuses on the Krakow, Poland, Ghetto. I have read extensively about the Warsaw Ghetto, but not as much about Krakow. Unfortunately, both Jewish Ghettos were pits of starvation, murder, disease and death.

This story is centered around a Polish pharmacy that refused to leave once the wall went up around the Jewish Ghetto. The staff, three heroic women, was able to help many, many Jews throughout War II, even while their lives were in constant danger.

Polish pharmacist Tadeusz Pankiewicz operated under the Nazis during the War, then later under the Russians, despite the constant deprivation. “In 1983, he was recognized by Yad Vashem, Israel’s official memorial to Holocaust victims, as one of the Righteous Among the Nations for his heroic efforts to aid Jews during the war.”

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been an avid reader of World War II history and literature for more than 60 years. My father and most of my uncles served in the war in many roles - as a tank driver in Patton's army, a tail gunner who was killed over Germany, and a medic in the Pacific Theater. I thought they walked on water!!!!!! My reading, however, had largely been within the European Theater of operations. In the fall of 1967 as a sophomore at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota I was privileged to participate in the Term in Thailand with 25 other students. We studied at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok - Buddhism, Southeast Asian history, art, literature, and political science. On the way to Bangkok we visited Japan and Hong Kong. Coming home included stops in Penang, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Guam. I had a DUH!!! moment when I realized that I was neglecting the Pacific conflict. I had visited the sites of so many significant events including the Death Railroad ( Thai - Burma Railway ) and the cemetery of the thousands of British, Australian, Dutch, and Canadian POW's who were used for and died extending the railroad. .... This book is an exception to my efforts to catch up with that Theater of War.. What I love the most, and sometimes fear the most, is learning NEW facts about WWII. This happens in almost every quality fiction or non-fiction book I read. I recently read History Matters by David McCullough, one of the greatest authors of non-fiction. He stated in an essay a fact that I perhaps always knew, but had never spoken out loud. The most important aspect to history is emotion!!!!!! If history does not evoke emotions, whether anger, fear, loss, or love, it is not good writing. This book centering on the Krakow Ghetto provided unexpected information about the ghetto - there was a pharmacy open inside the walls - and evoked sorrow and rage. It even had me almost feeling sorry for a Nazi. ALMOST.... Excellent read with engaging protagonists. Having read about this content in other books, I knew what was going to happen to the Jewish population eventually. This book, however, provided a unique perspective. Also congratulations to Mr. Shipman for no factual errors. Nothing makes me angrier when a fiction author attempts to depict WWII but the facts have glaring errors!!! Please read this book Kristi & Abby Tabby

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in Krakow during World War II, Crossing the Line by James D. Shipman gave me chills. The writing is vivid and beautiful and broke my heart. You just can't unknow this which is a good thing. I've read hundreds of WWII Historical Fiction books and as such am always keen to discover new-to-me information and learn about ordinary people who did extraordinary things. Do be sure to read the author's notes about the real people he included. Human capacity never fails to astonish me, whether it's horrendous or heroic. It's all here.

The Jewish Ghetto is built using Jewish headstones and is a crowded place to throw in who Nazis classify as subhuman and valueless. The novel is about betrayals, restrictions, making impossible choices, and what people did which would otherwise be out of character. During war, every single moment is about survival. Natalia is from a wealthy Jewish family, accustomed to luxury. But her world falls apart. She finds a pharmacy who takes her on as she had had some medical training and was eager to help. Dealing with the black market becomes commonplace and employees take tremendous risks to smuggle medications and food. Irena and Tadeusz are pharmacists whose actions are terrifying and extremely brave. Elsa is a German who after breaking the law finds her only way to escape death is to join the SS. All of these people faced anguish.

My favourite aspect of the story is that of the pharmacy and courageous pharmacists who held true to their convictions no matter the cost. The author pointed out Tadeusz became Righteous Among Nations. Well deserved in my opinion. Millions of lives were carelessly destroyed and each has a story. This one is about something seldom written about which I appreciate. The topic is difficult, of course, but is handled sensitively and thoughtfully.

[Trudy Dowling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crossing the Line is one of those books that is going to stick with me. I will remember the struggles experienced by many of the characters. I will remember the atrocities, the horrors. I will remember the tears, the crushing feeling. I will rememeber and recommend it to others so they can all remember.

Crossing the Line gives the reader different perspectives in the Krakov Ghetto during World War Two. Until now I didn't give much thought to the attitudes of the Nazis. Not all soldiers believed in what the SS was doing, but orders must be followed. Other soldiers in the story took great pleasure in torture and murder creating many tears. I kept asking myself how one could find such joy. No answers came.

Crossing the Line held great conflict. While many of the Jewish people struggled for each bread crumb others in the community made money any way the could. They sold out their own people. They accepted bribes. They worked with the Nazis, for the Nazis. From one page to the next I didn't know what they would do next.

Natalia witnessed much of this but didn't see it. She came from a wealthy family believing money could get you anything. She soon learns differently. Being friends with the daughter of a Judenrat brought her benefits, but at what cost? Being a volunteer in Under the Eagles Pharmacy gave her and the reader, a different perspective. She cried. I cried. The horrors just kept coming. The twists and shocking revelations grabbed me and wouldn't let go.

I needed to know how the story would end. Not the war, but what happened to the characters that I cared about. I will admit I wanted justice against those that committed war crimes. I needed some of them to survive, to share.

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this new World War II historical fiction novel from James Shipman, readers follow Natalia, Elsa, and Irena in the Krakow ghetto under Nazi rule. Pharmacist Irena watches the medicine supply dwindle and faces the changing reality of the pharmacy lying within the ghetto’s borders, so the workers offer what they can to this desperate population. Former medical student Natalia soon takes on a job at the pharmacy after her family moves into the quarter, while German Elsa joins the SS to avoid jail and arrives in Krakow where she is forced to face the cruelty and violence of her commanders, yet she soon finds herself in a tentative and dangerous alliance with Natalia and Elsa that will either save or doom countless others. Intense and emotional, the multiple perspectives bring each character to life and really flesh out the Krakow ghetto and the constantly changing environment. The three protagonists are complicated and well-written, and readers will find themselves sympathizing with all three -- even Elsa -- as they grow and change over the course of the novel. Packed with historical details, emotional events, and complicated characters, World War II historical fiction fans will love this immersive and fascinating novel from James Shipman.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the advance copy.

[Cindy Stein · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this novel about the Krakow Jewish Ghetto, we meet three main characters: Natalia, a young Jewish woman from a wealthy family whose plan to attend medical school is thwarted by the Nazi occupation; Irena, a Polish pharmacy worker whose boss runs a pharmacy in the ghetto; and Elsa, a German young woman who becomes an SS officer assigned to the ghetto.

While the novel centers on the pharmacy, it is a well written account of life in the ghetto as it worsens toward liquidation and the deporting of Jews to annihilation. The pharmacy, its owner and employees are real people who risked their lives to remain in the ghetto and help Jews. The other main characters are fictional, but their stories are based on actual realities.

I was highly engaged in this book and recommend it to anyone who wants to gain an understanding of what it was like for Jews living under Nazi occupation.

I was provided an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read that follows three women on very different journeys through World War II, each doing what she must to survive. The story shows how even in impossible situations, people find ways to make choices they believe are right.

I would give this one about 3.75 stars, rounded up to 4. The characters were well developed, and I understood their motivations, which kept me interested. I found it especially fascinating that the story was inspired by a real pharmacy and pharmacist, and I would have loved to learn even more about that aspect. Crossing the Line was overall an engaging and entertaining read.

[Barbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this one and couldn't put it down. Interesting view points, including that of a young german woman pulled into the SS from prison. I stayed up way to late to finish this one.

Thanks for the ARC Netgalley.

[Diane Saul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a compelling, heartbreaking WWII novel. It is well researched and the characters are compelling. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.
Sent from my iPad

[Leslie McKee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

4.5 stars

This shows a darker side of history, but it's one that's important to tell. However, it's not an easy read with the violence, struggles, lack of food and medicine, people turning on neighbors and friends, etc. Readers are able to follow three different women on very different journeys to do what they can to survive during WWII. While this isn't a cheerful read, it's a hopeful one, as you can clearly see how people do what they must do, what they feel is right, in nearly impossible situations.

Characters are well-developed and realistic. This is such an emotional read, so be prepared for that.

I love the fact that some characters are based on real people. I have read other stories about similar pharmacies, and it is just amazing to read/hear the stories these people have to share with the world. Be sure to read the author's note at the end!