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German Boy: A Child in War (平装)
by Wolfgang W. E. Samuel
| Category:
WW II, Memoirs |
| Market price: ¥ 178.00
MSL price:
¥ 168.00
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| Stock:
In Stock |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
There is a thread of hope, an appreciation for random kindness, and an ability to look beyond the depravity of humankind that pervades this brave and poignant memoir of a man who went on to serve 30 years in the U.S. Air Force and retired as a colonel. |
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AllReviews |
1 Total 1 pages 8 items |
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Paul Hoffmann (MSL quote), USA
<2007-05-11 00:00>
This story has to be told, and read, because of its well kept secrecy. It's important to show that the Germans, the innocent Germans, also suffered tremendously. The silence on the post-war war crimes imposed by the Allies and the West German gov't. is finally cracking after 50 long years We all know about the sins of the vanquished. It's time to read about the sins of the victors. Life, including war, is not black and white. The concept of racial guilt is dangerous because it can be applied to everyone in every ethnic group depending on who won which war. Having heard these stories whispered before, I knew that nothing in this book was exaggerated. World War II ended in 1945, but for the Germans it was 1949. My heart choked thoughout the book while following the little boy's Mark Twainistic and Victor Hugonian travails. The clear style used by W. Samuel opened the windows of the story for me to witness the words for myself. Euphemistic curtains were torn back, and the dusty window panes were broken thru. Even the doors were kicked in along with the hinges and door frames for the benefit of us readers to see a little of the horrors of post-war Germany. Nothing was held back for us readers. And I'm sure that the new Victorian censors of our era will complain about this book. His style formed his little memories into these colorful vignettes full of nighttime grays and other dark war paints. With very few flashbacks or other commonly used writing techniques, the author's style was always to the point. It was from the point of view of a child. But at times the author filled it in with an adult's perspective wherever he sensed that the little child's recollections were insufficient to properly convey a picture for us readers. This book was obviously a magnum opus. A true masterpiece. I am sure that when the author is ready to die from old age, he can look back on this book and say that indeed, his life was complete. |
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Hoodlum (MSL quote), USA
<2007-05-11 00:00>
This is a harrowing and gripping account of perseverance in the face of extreme adversity. The author provides a detailed and authentic autobiographical account of the terrible difficulties he and his mother and sister faced as refugees in the years following the Second World War. We get to know a range of characters, good and bad; and, as we read along, we are compelled to reflect on the history of the twentieth century, on human nature, on war and politics, and finally on our own selves and society. This is a unique account, well written and absorbing. I can see why Stephen Ambrose loved this book; I did too! |
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Rev. Kerry Aucker (MSL quote), USA
<2007-05-11 00:00>
A powerful intriging story of a young German boy who along with his sister and mother escape the oncoming Russian army during World War II and their struggle for survival under difficult conditions. It is a story of war from a human perspective but it is also a story of gratitude for those who helped them survive. I found the book one that I didn't want to lay down. It enthralled me to keep reading. |
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-05-11 00:00>
This is an outstanding autobiography of horrific events as experienced by a boy. Au contraire to post World War II commentators and The History Channel, not every German citizen was a member of the Nazi party, especially a young boy, and suffered accordingly as the regime crumbled. Mr. Samuel's account of his experiences surviving the final days of the Third Reich are spellbounding. This book is not just an autobiography, but a tribute to his mother. He chronicles with great detail the horrors of a dying Third Reich (and the efforts of relative strangers to save him and his family) and his mother's efforts to save them from the advancing hordes of Russian soldiers. Mr. Samuel, his sister and mother survived the collapse of the Third Reich only to endure the horrors of the Soviets/East Germany, until their escape. Truly makes one appreciate the very thin line that separated the horrors of the Nazi and Soviet Communist regimes. And it caused this reader to ponder her own chances of survival if in similar circumstances. This book is a tribute to all those innocent victims of authoritarian/totalitarian regimes who somehow survived and succeeded against all odds. A truly inspiring work. |
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Erik Gfesser (MSL quote), USA
<2007-05-11 00:00>
Very well written page-turner memoir that reads like a novel about a German refugee from East Germany making his way with his mother to West Germany and finally the United States. Innumerable books have been written against Germans since World War II, which unfortunately have equated Germans with supporters of the political establishment during the war. This account shows that many Germans living in Germany (especially East Germany) suffered during the war and did not support the government at that time. The horrid living conditions, lack of food, and the falling of Wolfgang's mother into periodic prostitution to save her family, combined with the author's gradual realization that God had a part in his survival, can bring tears to even the most stoic readers. Another memoir, by Elizabeth Walter called "Barefoot in the Rubble", although not as well written, presents and even more moving account of displaced Germans living in Yugoslavia following World War II. |
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Froebel (MSL quote), USA
<2007-05-11 00:00>
Searching for a good read on my recent trip to Dresden, the book jacket first drew me in. When I scanned the synopsis I KNEW it was the perfect book to take on my way to long suffering Dresden. I could not put the book down and read one half Boston to Dresden, and the rest Munich to Boston. I thought of the excavations I had witnessed in front of the Frauenkirche..the cellars of destroyed buildings, all carefully excavated, ready to be built on again in historically acurate reconstruction. Fifty-some years later and the vestiges of war still visible. How so must it be for someone like Wolfgang Samuel who was a child so long ago. He excavates the long mulled over memories of his experiences which form the basis of his current adulthood; the death, the want, the sacrifices of a mother making sure her children were fed, the sufferings under first animal-like Red Army "liberators," the hypocrisy of Communist indoctrinators, and the welcome attention of gum-chewing Yankee soldiers who had chocolate,hot water,and coca-cola. You will recommend this book again and again once you have read it! |
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Lyndall Buxton (MSL quote), Australia
<2007-05-11 00:00>
The beauty of this book is the way it is written. Wolfgang Samuel writes about the horrors of the war and the devastating effect war has on innocent people and their families. However, he writes in such a simple honest way that the impact on the reader is immense. I was particularly impressed by the way he wrote about the horrors his mother went through to ensure that her children survived. The love and respect he has for his mother clearly shows through - he never lost his love and respect for his mother - his love was unquestioned and unconditional. The characters which really impressed me were his grandparents. Wolfgang was greatly affected by the death of his maternal grandfather and he gained a lot of strength from his grandfather's death - but more importantly was the impact his paternal grandfather had on Wolfgang. That old man was a wise one! He ensured that he could give Wolfgang some valuable tools to equip him for life. His words of wisdom are some of the most powerful in the whole book. The old man had a gentle wisdom about him and by handing his words onto his grandson he was able to give him a philosophy to live by. Grandfather Samuels did not have material things to pass on to his grandson but his words were more valuable than gold. I loved the book and I would have to rate is as one of the best I have ever read - I have given it to a friend who asked me how can I read a book - I thought by giving her this book she would learn for herself why I love reading so much. |
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-05-11 00:00>
I could not put this book down. My mother (born 1934) was also a refugee from the Russians and fled with her famnily from East Germany to the west, then lived as a refugee in Goettingen with little more than the clothes on her back. Too many people naively think that once the war was over, life returned to normal. The suffering these people endured after the war is unimaginable in today's society. This book should be required reading for anyone studying modern European history or who believes that the war ended in 1945! |
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1 Total 1 pages 8 items |
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