About the Book:
There are few fictional stories that can match the true story of the Mohr family and their long quest for freedom which began in Romania as World War II was getting underway. Their journey from Romania to Weimar Germany would begin a perilous four years in the lives of the parents and their children, especially Melitta. She vanished into a Nazi institution on the day of her birth and would not be seen again by her family for six months. The miraculous circumstances of the reunion with her family would alone make a compelling story. But the dangerous adventures did not end. Their experiences in Weimar, which was also home to the notorious Buchenwald concentration camp, were among the worst that could occur to any family. Later, the family would be confronted with another decision between the time Patton's Third Army liberated Buchenwald and Weimar and before the region would be turned over to the Soviet Union. Their efforts to catch the last train from Weimar to Augsburg, West Germany, are captivating.
My Comments:
Family history can be fascinating and I'm a firm believer in writing down those stories while those who experienced them, or who know those who experienced them, are still alive. Knowing that my paternal grandmother was a German from Russia, and learning the history of those people (one was a distant cousin, Lawrence Welk) gives me a connection to the world that I would otherwise lack. The fact that my grandmother was on the last boat that got out before WWI is not something that should be lost when my dad passes away in the not-too-distant future (nothing wrong with him now, but he's in his eighties...).
That being said, most of those family histories, whether written or orally recorded should be kept for family. I'm sure Melitta Strandberg's descendants will be glad she took the time to tell of her family's migration across Europe from Romania to East German and then West Germany. However, it is not a book I could recommend to anyone else. It reminded me of nothing quite so much as reading a grade school essay. Grade: D
I'd like to thank the author for providing a review copy via Bostick Communication.
I'm sorry to see it reads like an essay. :( I just received the book yesterday and based on the back cover blurb it sounds really interesting. I guess I'll see soon enough. I've linked to your review on War Through the Generations.
ReplyDeleteI was disappointed in the book as well. But I think you're right this is an important part of their family history
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