World War II

A few rare books give us insight into the lives of ordinary German citizens caught up in the maelstrom that swept Europe in World War II. Such is this new work by Vera Steppeler: the stark tale of her young self, saved from sudden death by the slimmest of chances; emerging from a bomb shelter to find her entire neighborhood flattened, a journey in wagons intended for animals, and other harrowing adventures. Steppeler has succeeded brilliantly in channeling her own youthful observations, never burdening the narrative with ponderous analysis. Steppeler's odyssey pauses in West Germany with love and a young husband yearning to emigrate to America, a move to Canada in 1961, and then in 1964 to America. "For those of us who lived through such an experience, the idea of war as a way of resolving conflict is unimaginable," says Steppeler. She is also the author of the novel The Love Trap: On My Mother's Grave, published in 2013.