Books, Writing, History, and Me
In “Books, Writing, History, and Me” I share my thoughts on travel, cooking, van-life, books, the process of writing, the experiences of an indie-publisher, WWII, the Holocaust, and anything else I feel might be of interest to readers of my books. Please send me comments and let me know what you like and what you want to know more about. Everything in this blog reflects my personal ideas and feelings–a memoir of sorts, it is my perspective and any errors or omissions are mine.
Life on the Ringstrasse and a Ritchie Boy Discovered
This year, I read two books that reveal the opulent life of many Jewish families living in Vienna, Austria before World War II. Both books are well worth reading for their intimate view of these families, the leaders of Austrian business, thought, and artistic culture in the first four decades of the twentieth century— of…
Family Album
Several of my readers have expressed disappointment that Immigrant Soldier does not have photos. Other than the pictures used on the cover, I decided that because the book was written as a novel, it would be better without photos which might inhibit a reader’s imagination. You will find some pictures of Herman on various pages of this…
Immigrant Soldier Gets a Facelift
Recently I spent a few mornings and afternoons talking to ladies at my gym where the owner kindly let me set up a table and bring copies of Immigrant Soldier to sell. As usual, people told me the WWII stories of their relatives, asked me how long it took me to write the book, and wanted to…
Meiningen, A Hometown Revisited
Both my father and Herman had fond memories of their hometown, Meiningen, located in the southern part of the state of Thuringia, Germany, and just over the border into what was, from 1945 until 1990, East Germany. I was able to travel there in the Spring of 1991 with my elderly parents and one of…
Beyond Anne Frank: Holocaust Books for Youth and Teens.
Summer is almost here. It is a good time to encourage students, who are freed from homework and after-school sports, to expand their reading beyond school-mandated curriculum. The Diary of Anne Frank is widely used as a way to teach young people about the Holocaust, as well as a tool to challenge prejudice and promote respect for…
Kindererziehung or Growing up with Struwwelpeter
When Herman sits huddled under blankets on the tossing deck of the Husima Maru during his winter crossing of the Atlantic, he thinks of many things from his childhood, including the scary picture book that his father sometimes read to him. Struwwelpeter was a popular children’s book in much of Europe in the early years of the…
Loss of Citizenship the Nuremberg Way
In the second chapter of Immigrant Soldier, Herman speeds toward home on his motorcycle, his mind a swirl of thoughts. “He knew it was finally time for him to make a move, but he had no idea how to escape. He was without a passport and no longer considered a citizen of the German nation. He…
Historical Fiction – How Old Does It Have to Be?
Recently I gave a talk about Immigrant Soldier to a local organization and, during the Q & A session, a lady in the audience took issue with calling the book historical fiction. From her perspective, World War II seemed too recent. “After all,” she said, “to my parents this was their life! And I was born during…
Molly Speaks on Love and War
In Immigrant Soldier, the Story of a Ritchie Boy, Molly is Herman’s first love. She is based on a real young woman, though I have changed her name and added details too private for Herman to tell me. I thought it would be interesting to look into Molly’s heart. How did she feel about her brief…
Remembering V-E Day
On May 8, 1945, the world erupted in celebrations. With the acceptance of Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender by the Allies, the fighting in Europe was finally over. In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of victory in Europe, I decided to speak to a few Ritchie Boys and ask them to remember where they were on…