In Because of Eva, an American Jewish woman travels to Eastern Europe and Israel to solve mysteries in her familys past by delving into World War II and Holocaust history. What began as a seemingly simple search for ""Eva,"" the elderly relative who had signed Gordons grandfathers death certificate in New York long ago, became a journey of discovery when Gordon found her in Tel Aviv. There, she heard Evas stories of survival during the Holocaust, especially in Nazi-occupied Budapest. Eventually, Gordon would retrace Evas steps in Budapest and visit ancestral towns in Ukraine to bear witness to the slaughter of entire populations of Jews. Amid remnants of loss and destruction in the small town where her grandfather was born, Gordon also uncovered details of her familys world before relatives immigrated to America.

Gordons journey into her past provided the deep sense of connection and belonging she needed as an adult child of divorce and abuse. Gaining insight about her familys history, Gordon reconciles issues of betrayal and loyalty, and finally finds her place in Judaism. Part memoir, part detective story, Because of Eva is an intimate tale of one womans history within the epic sweep of world events in the twentieth century.