Born into a middle-class doctor's family, the young Ruth was raised in Hamburg, studied law, and found herself drawn increasingly toward the ideals of the Communist Party. When Hitler came to power in 1933, she fled Germany not because she was Jewish but because of her political activism; she settled in Holland where she remained until late 1945. There she worked for the Swiss consul, acquiring a Swiss passport and thus protection. When the Nazis occupied Amsterdam, she was able to continue her vital work of helping refugees to get visas out of Europe. Eventually Ruth found herself in danger, and she was hidden by a Dutch family in the countryside.

Soon after the end of the war, Ruth returned to Hamburg, where she married the journalist Heinz Liepman. In 1949 they started what would become one of the most respected literary agencies in the world. Ruth runs the agency to this day, and she includes in this book many reflections on her years working with books and authors.

The story of a life of commitment, idealism, and unswerving courage, Maybe Luck Isn't Just Chance is a compelling and engrossing tale.