The Nazi Officer's Wife by Edith H. Beer, Book review

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; First Edition edition (September 22, 1999
• ISBN-13: 978-0688166892
• Also available in KINDLE format

SYNOPSIS:

Edith Hahn was an outspoken young woman in Vienna when the Gestapo forced her into a ghetto and then into a labor camp. When she returned home months later, she knew she would become a hunted woman and went underground. With the help of a Christian friend, she emerged in Munich as Grete Denner. There she met Werner Vetter, a Nazi Party member who fell in love with her. Despite Edith's protests and even her eventual confession that she was Jewish, he married her and kept her identity a secret.

In wrenching detail, Edith recalls a life of constant, almost paralyzing fear. She tells of German officials who casually questioned the lineage of her parents; of how, when giving birth to her daughter, she refused all painkillers, afraid that in an altered state of mind she might reveal something of her past; and of how, after her husband was captured by the Soviet army, she was bombed out of her house and had to hide while drunken Russian soldiers raped women on the street.

Yet despite the risk it posed to her life, Edith created a remarkable record of survival. She saved every document and set of papers issued to her, as well as photographs she managed to take inside labor camps. Now part of the permanent collection at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., these hundreds of documents, several of which are included in this volume, form the fabric of a gripping new chapter in the history of the Holocaust -- complex, troubling, and ultimately triumphant.

My thoughts:


When I first spotted the recount of Edith Hahn Beer's survival during the Nazi regime I had never heard of U-boats or fugitives hiding in plain sight in Germany.

Edith Hahn's life and the breathtaking choices she made to live yet another day are detailed in 'The Nazi Officer's Wife', a corroborated story of one woman's survival during the Holocaust. 

There are many accounts of survivors, each one bringing us insight of a page of History we pray never to experience again but the story of one bright law student, born in Austria of Jewish descent, living as a Nazi officer's wife is amazing. 
Saving letters, documents and even photos (many of these are featured in her book), she describes her story, testament to yet another facet of human endurance in the face of adversity!

From a comfortable Austrian milieu, this outspoken young Jew was wrenched away from her family, plunged first into a ghetto, then into a labor camp only to be released into a world gone thoroughly mad where she no longer fitted.
With a false identify, she went underground and became Margrethe Denner, a 'certified German descended everyday Frau' and eventually the wife of a member of the Nazi party.

With a clarity honed by the constant fear of discovery, Edith/Grete details real everyday life for a wife and a mother in the Reich. Leaving nothing off, she paints a stark portrait of the isolation (she couldn't trust anyone), the food rationing, the clandestine radio listening to the BBC, Radio America and the birth of a little daughter she named Angelika, the only Jew child believed to be born in a Reich hospital. 

With the eventual fall of the Third Reich and the arrival of the Russian bent on revenge upon liberation,  Edith/Grete emerged once more as a Jew only to face a new regime much like the Nazis. 

This account of one woman's survival will transport readers into an era filled with danger and remind you of the difficult choices people make in order to live yet another day.

5 Stars!

Meet the Author:

Edith Hahn Beer and her daughter Angela in 1998.
Find out more about this incredible persona (HERE).

NOTE: This was a library loan and any opinion is mine only!

North Of Hope: A Daughter's Artic Journey, Book review

Publisher: Zondervan (April 9, 2013)

ISBN-13: 978-0310328766

Synopsis:

 

After her parents are killed in a rare grizzly attack, the author is forced into a wilderness of grief. Turning to loves she learned from her father, Polson explores the perilous terrain of grief through music, the natural world, and her faith. Her travels take her from the suburbs of Seattle to the concert hall where she sings Mozart's Requiem, and ultimately into the wilderness of Alaska's remote Arctic and of her heart.

This deeply moving narrative is shot through with the human search for meaning in the face of tragedy. Polson's deep appreciation for the untamed and remote wilderness of the Alaskan Arctic moves her story effortlessly between adventure, natural history, and sacred pilgrimage, as much an internal journey as a literal one. Readers who appreciate music or adventure narratives and the natural world or who are looking for new ways to understand loss will find guidance, solace, and a companionable voice in this extraordinary debut.

See Trailer (HERE)

My thoughts:

North of Hope can only be described as a well crafted narrative you should discover for yourself, particularly if you have ever experienced a deep loss! No amount of lyrical prose on the part of this reviewer could provide you with an inkling of the account of one daughter's journey into the Alaskan wilderness. Retracing her father's last trek across the Artic a year later is Shannon's hope to make sense of the tragic event which took his and her stepmum's lives.

Woven throughout the grief and despair of having lost a father, a friend and confident are skillful descriptions of barren lands, incomparable Artic wildlife and flashbacks to earlier and happier times interspersed with tales of the bear's place in Native folklore around the globe.  

Together with adopted brother Ned and friend Sally, Shannon starts her quest in Kaktovik, at the northern edge of Alaska, their goal to raft the Hulahula river following directives found in her father's diary. 
Arranging for their rafting supplies and a bush pilot to fly them to Grassers strip, their starting point, is however the easy part. The weather does not cooperate and requires of the trio an overnight stay in town, the writer's description of the only available accommodation an interesting highlight!

North of Hope is a labour of love, a search for continuation, a testament that you can go on despite the grief or perhaps because of it. It is also a story of deep faith shared by someone who finds herself on the edge of uncharted land, her larger than life father gone forever. To understand Shannon, her undeniable love of music and adventures, you should first read her biography. 

In the end, like a beautiful but unfinished symphony, Shannon's 'thoughts about going to the Artic are not merely an interest but a necessity, to see the place where they died and the river which became their Requiem'...
She needed to finish their trip.

Note: I delayed posting this review as I shared this story with my family. By now a well thumbed book, we are in total agreement: North of Hope is worth much more than 5 stars!

About the Author:

 

Shannon Polson lives and writes in the Pacific Northwest. She was a contributing writer to More Than 85Broads, and her work has appeared in Seattle and Alaska Magazines, Cirque Journal, Adventure Magazine, and Trachodon, among others. Polson graduated with a B.A. from Duke University in English Literature, an M.B.A. from the Tuck School at Dartmouth, and an M.F.A. from Seattle Pacific University. 

She served eight years as an attack helicopter pilot in the Army and worked five years in corporate marketing and management roles before turning to writing full time. Polson serves on the board of the Alaska Wilderness League and sings with the critically acclaimed Seattle Pro Musica. She has looked for adventure and challenge anywhere she can find it, scuba diving, sky diving and climbing around the world, including ascents of Denali and Kilimanjaro, and completing two Ironman triathlons. 

She and her family enjoy backpacking, any kind of skiing, paddling, and spending as much time outdoors as they can in the Western states and Alaska. In September 2009, Polson was awarded the Trailblazer Woman of Valor award from Washington State Senator Maria Cantwell. 

For additional information see (HERE) including Zondervan's link to read the first chapter (HERE).

 (Hulahula River)

 I received this ARC from HANDLEBAR MARKETING as part of their blogger review program. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC 16 CFR, Part 255 'Guides concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising. I was not asked to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are entirely my own. 

 

True Strength by Kevin Sorbo, Book review

Publisher: Da Capo Press

ISBN-13: 978-0306820366

Synopsis:

On television, Kevin Sorbo portrayed an invincible demigod; in his real life, a sudden health crisis left him partially blind and incapacitated at just thirty-eight years old. Yet since appearances are everything in Hollywood, he hid the full details about his condition from the press and continued to film Hercules, which was the number one TV series in the world. 
In this inspiring memoir, Sorbo shares the story of the crisis that ultimately redefined his measure of success.

My thoughts:

Like any parent I remember with fondness my son anticipating 'Hercules' on the telly. I admit however I took little attention to the name behind the figure, taking at heart however this seemingly greater than life role model was gentle, clean and funny! His countless fans couldn't praise him enough for his kindness and honest dedication to the world of sports and he was a Christian. Good enough for me!

I usually shy away of autobiographies but this title attracted my attention a couple of weeks back on a library shelf as I recognized the face and well, the rest is history. Here I am!

Of course I had to take my turn in reading 'True Strength'! Hercules never lost his appeal in our household!
As I read it became evident Kevin Sorbo is just a mere mortal after all! This book describes his journey through countless hardships including his fight against a life threatening illness which puzzled the medical community!  

It begins with a aneurysm sending blood clots throughout his body causing eventually several strokes, leaving him partially blind and literally incapacitated. This remarkably fit celebrity recounts his nightmarish battle to regain a modicum of quality life whilst offering hope and encouragement to those families and individuals who are seemingly fighting for their health. 

Kevin Sorbo's story reflects his battle to overcome his biggest challenge at a time when everything was going right for him: his career was the epitome of success and he had found his soul mate in Sam, his wife, a Christian like himself. 
Not being prone to excess and having no hereditary reasons for the illness, Kevin found himself facing the psychological insecurity as well as nemerous physical aspects of his dramatic condition. 

Despite his penchant for (juvenile) expletives I made a point to finish Kevin Sorbo' story as I joined the fans who admire the candid account of a vigorous 38 years old  faced with a tremendous downturn in his life yet emerging even stronger than before.
Placing his faith in God and with the staunch support of his lovely wife Sam he has yet to regain the full extent of his original health and faces more surgical procedures in the future. But he has learned to overcome his doubts, handles the pain and counts his many blessings, leading his family and millions of fans to believe he truly is Hercules!

A remarkable story worth reading, a magnificent lesson in courage and a reminder that with Him, there is always hope!

4 1/2 stars (because of the expletives Folks! Tsk, tsk, tsk Mr. Sorbo!)


About the Author himself:

Kevin Sorbo was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 100% Norwegian and proud of his Viking heritage!
Best known for his 7 year series, "Hercules, the Legendary Journey's" from 1993-2000. Hercules became the most watched TV show in the world. 2000-2005 he was Captain Dylan Hunt on "Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda" which was America's number one first run syndicated show for its entire run. Actor, director, and producer for over 30 years, and now a writer!

2011 recipient of The Movie Guide Awards "Most Inspirational Performance of the Year for his performance in the faith based movie "What If".
Sorbo has also starred in over 40 movies including "Kull, the Conqueror", Walking Tall: the Payback", "Soul Surfer", "The Santa Suit", "Poolboy: Drowning out the Fury", "The Christmas Angel", "Abel's Field", "God's Not Dead", "Julia X", and "Single in South Beach".

Note to readers: This review was not requested by either author or publisher and reflects only my opinion!