Surviving the Fatherland
by Annette Oppenlander
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Historical Coming of
age
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Spanning thirteen years from 1940 to 1953, SURVIVING THE
FATHERLAND tells the true and heart-wrenching stories of Lilly and Günter struggling
with the terror-filled reality of life in the Third Reich, each embarking on
their own dangerous path toward survival, freedom, and ultimately each other.
Based on the author’s own family and anchored in historical facts, this story
celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the strength of war children.
SURVIVING THE FATHERLAND is a sweeping saga of family, love, and betrayal that illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the children's war.
SURVIVING THE FATHERLAND is a sweeping saga of family, love, and betrayal that illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the children's war.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
They were
small changes at first, certain foods missing, fewer clothes available on
ration cards, walking farther to find an open bakery…
Every day I
caught myself listening for Vati’s footsteps. My breath would slow each time I
heard the front door, a part of my soul rejoicing. Every day, he remained
absent.
And
something else changed. Fear moved into my life. Before Vati left, I hadn’t
experienced dread other than a bit of uneasiness when going to the dark
basement.
Now I had
this shakiness in my legs that wouldn’t go away. In school we practiced
climbing under the desk and lining up against inside walls or marching to the
basement, teachers producing enthusiastic smiles as if we were playing a game.
It was a vague feeling, a discomfort I couldn’t define except that it made my
sleep restless and my daily routine tense.
Mutti grew
increasingly nervous and her temper, no longer buffered by Vati, flared.
I took the
brunt of it.
The thing
is, I mostly accepted Mutti’s wrath as normal. I’d surely done something to
deserve it. In the end, I didn’t know any better, and I accepted my new
neighbor’s peculiar habits in the same way.
It was late
that evening as I hurried downstairs. Cigarette smoke crept into the hallway
through Huss’s door. I squeezed shut my nose with two fingers and rushed past,
all the while wondering what he did for a living. All the men I knew worked or
fought in the war like Vati.
My Review:
Surviving the Fatherland is, simply put, a really good read. I've read lots of books set in World War II that focused on the Allies and what they went through during the war, but you don't find as many books set in Germany. The book follows the story of two families who try their best to survive the hardships and chaos Hitler put his own people through. The hardships they endured were dreadful. The book also pointed out that not all of the people were Nazis. One of the characters in the book goes to extreme lengths to avoid being drafted in the army. What I especially liked about the story is that it's true. It happened to real people who eventually came to the US to live. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would give it 5 out of 5 stars.
Surviving the Fatherland is, simply put, a really good read. I've read lots of books set in World War II that focused on the Allies and what they went through during the war, but you don't find as many books set in Germany. The book follows the story of two families who try their best to survive the hardships and chaos Hitler put his own people through. The hardships they endured were dreadful. The book also pointed out that not all of the people were Nazis. One of the characters in the book goes to extreme lengths to avoid being drafted in the army. What I especially liked about the story is that it's true. It happened to real people who eventually came to the US to live. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would give it 5 out of 5 stars.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and
Links:
As a historical novelist Annette Oppenlander spends much of her
time in archives and historic neighborhoods. When she isn’t studying the past,
she shares her knowledge through writing workshops and indulges her old mutt,
Mocha. In her spare time she travels around the U.S. and Europe to discover
amazing histories. The mother of three ‘former’ teens, Annette lives with her
husband in Bloomington, Ind.
“Nearly
every place holds some kind of secret, something that makes history come alive.
When we scrutinize people and places closely, history is no longer a date or
number, it turns into a story.”
Pinterest:
annoppenlander
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and
RAFFLECOPTER CODE
Annette Oppenlander will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes
and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good morning, Annette here. Thank you so much for hosting and reviewing! I'll be around today to answer any questions you may have.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the chance to win. I love WWII books!
ReplyDeleteWhat is your favorite book? Thanks for the giveaway. I hope that I win. Bernie W BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com
ReplyDeleteAwesome review - thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the tour and thanks for the chance to win
ReplyDelete