Between Worlds, Never to Return

Germany in 1844 ...- a country without individual and political freedom or independence,- a country divided into small kingdoms and principalities,- a country far behind the developments of a modern democratic state,- a country with its inhabitants suffering from poverty and misery.A group of noblemen offers help to all disappointed and desperateGermans. They advertise for Germans wanting to emigrate to Texas inthe Southwest, where they wish to create a new Germany. Thousandsaccept the offer of the "Society for the Protection of German Immigrantsin Texas" and depart for North America.One of these is the revolutionary Karl Engelbach. To avoid persecution,he and his son Johann have to leave their small farm in northern Hesseone night in March of 1844. Father and son are forced to undertake adangerous flight through their divided country until they arrive inBremen, where they take a ship sailing to Charleston. After their arrivalin South Carolina, there is still a long way to Texas, and the Engelbachshave to deal with many difficulties to get there. In Texas they join theother German settlers and continue their journey from the coast intothe heart of the wild, uncivilized Texas, where they and the otherGerman settlers have to struggle with perilous dangers. Will theyever reach their Promised Land? Or will the Texas project of theNoblemen's Society end in disaster?Barbara Ortwein combines the story of her fictional characters Johannand Karl Engelbach with the real story of the actual people involved inthis historical project, which took place in Germany and Texas in 1844to 1847. Her special focus in this, the first book of her Texas saga, isGermany in 1844. Through her plot she explains why the Germans ofthis time were so keen to leave their country and follow the call of theNoblemen's Society: »Geh mit nach Texas!« (»Come with us toTexas!«) ------------------- At her lectures in many places throughoutGermany she has been rewarded with thegreat interest of her German audiences.The Germans were astonished to hearabout people who had lived in theircommunities long ago, but had suddenlydisappeared during the 19th century tostart a new life in another part of theworld. Her readers demanded to knowmore of the almost-forgotten stories oftheir country folk who emigrated to Texas.To fulfill their wish Barbara Ortweinstarted the sequel "In the Middle of Texasbut Not At The End," which will appear atthe Leipzig Book Fair in March of 2015.The idea to translate her first book intoEnglish had been discussed eagerly withher two translators Lisa Mays and PamelaPhillips, both teachers at Texas HighSchools and colleagues of BarbaraOrtwein. It now becomes reality.