Recounts one family's trials and tribulations in Nazi occupied Holland during World War II. The captivating narrative, a tale of memories filtered through a young boy's innocent eyes, details the struggle for survival in the face of food and fuel shortages under the oppressive and ever present cloud of German occupation.
Weller takes us on a journey with his family as they await Allied liberation during the war years, survive the horrific bombardment of their city, and finally decide at the end of the war to emigrate from Holland to the United States. This is yet another journey filled with hope and uncertainty as they pursue the American dream. Through this memoir of courage and determination, the strength of the human spirit rises from the dark pages of history.
Excerpt
Most people were able to keep their wits about them, but there were the inevitable cases of shell shock. Similar to the previous day, when all one could do is think about it, the fainting spells, the hysteria, and the very real heart attack cases needing medical attention when there was none to be had, had a profound effect on all of us in that convent that night. To see these people in their agony, literally not knowing if they were coming or going, soiling themselves, was, for me, a significant emotional event, indelibly imprinted on my mind. For most of us, indeed all of us, this was the most traumatic experience of our lives. I am certain that many people in that convent that night believed each breath they took would be their last. For years, and even now, we relived that night as clearly as it happened in 1944.
Sherlyn Powell opens up about her love and devotion to her family and the overwhelming repercussion when communication breaks down. Heartbroken and distraught she learns to release her prayer and realize with faith God would reunite her family.
