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Destined for Survival

From the very first paragraph, I was captivated with Vera Miller's writing. Her book is the story of her mother?s girlhood in Germany and of her escape from Communism. It is drawn from memories her mother tried to bury. I admire Miller?s tenacity in persevering 30 years in quest for answers to questions about her family?s fascinating history and genealogy.

The book is divided into three parts. Part One is an introduction to the stories and characters discussed in detail throughout the book. Part Two covers a trip the author made to Germany in 2005. In a warm intimate writing style Miller shares her impressions and insights into the country of her heritage, Germany. These experiences and the family she revisited or newly met lay the groundwork which uncover the essentials of the story to follow, the period from 1939 through 1952, the years immediately preceding and after WWII.

In Part Three, Vera powerfully recounts the political and economic upheaval of eastern Germany during the rise of Hitler to power. She then describes the years of WWII, and the years immediately following, under Soviet communist rule. Miller provides the reader with a glimpse of the live of the people, the families, and the obstacles they had to find freedom during WWII and the years immediately following. Vera exemplified how these refuges turned tragedy to challenge

Although the story revolves around the events leading up to her parent?s immigration to the United States, Miller traces the stories of each of her mother?s siblings, throughout the same period of time. Their stories are haunting, disturbing, dramatic, as well as romantic.

As reviewed for Midwest Book Review