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Abandoned & Forgotten: An Orphan Girl’s Tale of Survival in World War II Reviewed By Amy Lignor Of Bookpleasures.com
- By Amy Lignor
- Published September 24, 2009
- Biographies & Memoirs
Amy Lignor
Reviewer Amy Lignor: Amy is the author of a historical fiction novel entitled The Heart of a Legend, and Mind Made, a work of science fiction. Presently, she is writing an adventure series set in the New York Public Library, as well as a teen fiction series, The Angel Chronicles. She is an avid traveler and has been fortunate to have journeyed across the USA, where she has met the most amazing people, who truly bring life and soul to her books. She lives in the Land of Enchantment (for now) with her gorgeous daughter, Shelby, her wonderful Mom, Mary, and the greatest friend and critic in the entire world - her dog, Reuben
View all articles by Amy Lignor
ISBN: 978-1-58736-693-2
Click Here To Purchase Abandoned and Forgotten: An Orphan Girl's Tale of Survival During World War II
This book is a stirring, sweet, frightening memoir of a young girl’s life during World War II. That’s the gist…the brass tacks of what the publishing world perceives this book to be. But I’m here to tell you that these chapters hold a great deal more power than that. There have been many books regarding the War. Each was told from a different point of view – from those on both sides of glory and defeat. With this book, we are told the story from the ground up. Like Anne Frank’s haunting tale, Ms. Tannehill tells her own story of a German life that went from a picturesque world to a nightmarish landscape in the blink of an eye.
We begin in the German province of East Prussia by the Baltic Sea, and are immediately astounded by this German family. They’re just like us, happy and carefree. The farm they work is doing well and the seven children are happy – a regular fairy-tale way to begin any life. In fact, one of my favorite scenes is when Evelyn’s father, at the start of summer, goes out and brings back a load of sand so that the children can build castles during their lazy, warm days. The patriarch of this family has the gift of being an American citizen; a gift that quickly gets him into trouble when Hitler takes center stage. Evelyn’s father rails against the Reich. He has no problem saying how much he dislikes the future that he sees marching towards their small town. Unfortunately, the walls have ears, and Father is taken away.
We are soon gone from the sweet world of searching for the perfect Pine Christmas tree, and the stories that Oma weaves for Evelyn’s delight. Little by little, the reader can feel the rumblings of the war…the coming of soldiers to destroy this family’s life. The teachers in the small schools are suddenly donning military uniforms and disappearing from the classrooms; the shortage of fuel becomes greater with each passing day. Evelyn begins to hear the words Gestapo and SS, and wonders why the food in the pantry is growing more meager by the minute.
This book is split into sections: The Germans; The Russians; The Poles; The New Germans; and the Epilogue. Each section is at once frightening, beautiful, dignified, and can teach us all valuable lessons. Americans paid with their lives…this is true. But the absolute horror that the Germans – who did not follow the Reich’s lead – had to go through, was monumental. Not only did their “own” come after them, but the Russians were just as bad. Each page draws you in and makes you count the blessings in your own life.
I want to send my special thanks to this author. You have taught me a great deal and I am truly an admirer – not only of your wonderfully descriptive prose, but also your pride, determination, and strength in a world that’d literally fallen down around your ears.