I have some exciting news to share! I am in the early stages of writing a book about my grandmother’s World War II story. She and her family were Germans who lived in the Ukraine under Joseph Stalin. Her father was taken away when she was eight years old and sent to a death camp in Siberia. She never saw him nor heard from him again. When she was a teenager, her mother and brother were also deported to Siberia. (Thankfully, she was able to escape from the UN officials who attempted
to deport her.)It wasn’t until 30 years later that my grandmother was reunited with her mother and brother. By that time, she was married and had three teenage daughters, one of whom was my mom. I’m looking forward to sharing the full story with you as soon as I finish the book!
to deport her.)It wasn’t until 30 years later that my grandmother was reunited with her mother and brother. By that time, she was married and had three teenage daughters, one of whom was my mom. I’m looking forward to sharing the full story with you as soon as I finish the book!
Sandra Toews
It sounds similar to my family background. My family were German-speaking Mennonites living in the Ukraine. They fled the Ukraine and ended up in Poland. My grandparents were separated during the war (WW11) in Poland and my grandmother and mother were sent to a labor camp in Siberia where my mom grew up. My grandparents were reunited in Canada after 21 years apart. My mom hadn't seen her father since she was a baby and was now 22 years old.
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Hi Sandra,
That sounds a lot like my family's story! One side of my grandma's family also has a Mennonite background. Do you know what part of the Ukraine your family lived in?
Ellie
Sandra Toews
Hi Ellie,
My mom's side is from the Molotschna Colony (new colony), and my dad's side is from the Chortitza Colony (old colony) in the south of the Ukraine. They were also targeted by Stalin along with all of the German-speaking people in Russia at the time. My mom and dad's families fled when they were babies as well as my mother-in-law who was 16 at the time. My dad and mother-in-law ended up as refugees in Paraguay, and my mother, grandmother and great-grandmother along with mom's aunts and cousins were captures and sent to Siberia to a labor camp not far from Lake Baikal close to Mongolia. If my grandmother couldn't work logging old growth forests by hand with her sisters (and she was often sick), she and my mom wouldn't get their ration of a piece of bread for the day which is all they had to eat. I've sometimes thought that I should write a book as well! It's very interesting how the Mennonites started out in Holland during the reformation and kept going eastward because of persecution for their faith. It would be interesting to know if we have some family connections!
Sandra Toews
Hi again Ellie,
Can I ask where your grandmother lived in Western Canada? I was born and grew up in Vancouver, BC and now live an hour east of Vancouver and there are a lot of Mennonites in our area (Abbotsford).
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Hi Sandra,
In Ukraine, my grandma lived near Dnipropetrovsk. That's quite close to where your family is from! In Canada, she lived in Alberta. My family has been to Vancouver a couple times, as we have a relative they are. We also went skiing in Whistler which was beautiful.
Ellie
Anonymous
Wow, sounds amazing!! Do you have a Jewish background??
So excited!!
Alissa
Anonymous
I wouldn't say "amazing"…
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Hi Alissa,
Nope, my family isn't Jewish. π They were targeted by Stalin, who killed more than 20 million people for various reasons, or no reason at all.
Ellie
Anonymous
Oh, ok. I was just curious. Thanks for answering my question!!
I ment to say that it's amazing she's writing a book π
Alissa
nashvillewife@gmail.com
No worries, Alissa. π
Ellie
Kell
I am look forward to reading your book!
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Thank you, Kell! π
Ellie
Anonymous
Personal stories from that era and that place are amazing and full of bravery, drama, and heartbreak. It's good you're recording this for posterity.
I remember when I was growing up, I used to see a husband and wife who ran a business in our town. They had numbers tattooed on their forearms. I wanted to know more about it but my mother hush-hushed it. Now I know it was concentration camp numbers. They were survivors. They must have had horrific stories to tell. I can't even imagine what they endured.
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Wow, that's crazy! I remember hearing from a Holocaust survivor who visited my school as a kid. It was very eye-opening, but also very heartbreaking.
Ellie
Anonymous
My nieces and nephews are Jewish. During their bar & bat mitzvahs, they recognized and honored a child who died in the Holocost, from among the many children who never lived to see that same milestone in their lives. It's chilling and touching and it brought tears to my eyes every time.
nashvillewife@gmail.com
What a wonderful thing to do. There were quite a few Jewish people in my area growing up, so I went to several bat/bat mitzvahs, but most of them were just parties with not much meaning behind them, unfortunately. Very few kids took their heritage seriously.
Ellie
Anonymous
Please keep us posted when your book is available! I can't wait to read it. Will it be available through book stores in Canada? Does your grandmother live in your area?
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Will do! I hope it will be available in stores, but I will certainly be online. My grandmother died about 8 years ago, but she lived in western Canada.
Ellie
Ashley
Dear Ellie,
That's really neat you're able to record your grandma's history. I can't wait to read more of it. Thanks for sharing it!
Love in Christ,
Ashley
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Thanks, Ashley! I look forward to sharing the finished product with you all.
Ellie
Shela G
So amazing that you are writing a book!! I am looking forward to reading more about your grandmother and your book. I know you will do a terrific job you are a great story teller!!
nashvillewife@gmail.com
That's sweet of you, Shela. I look forward to the day when I can unveil the finished product!
Ellie
Anonymous
Exciting. Do you have a publisher yet? Hope someone picks it up and it gets attention, because it sounds like a very intriguing story.
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Thank you! I haven't started searching for a punisher yet. π
Ellie
Anonymous
Punisher?
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Oops, typo. π
Ellie
Anonymous
You can always publish through Create Space if you don't find a publisher. π
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Thanks for the idea! π
Ellie
Sarah Liston
So exciting Ellie! Can't wait to hear more!
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Thank you, Sarah!
Ellie
Anonymous
I too am very anxious to hear more about your family story!
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Thanks!
Ellie
Anna Ruth
So cool, can't wait!
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Thanks, Anna Ruth!
Ellie
Unknown
I think it's awesome that you're writing a book. I can hardly wait to read it:-)
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Well thank you. I'm flattered!
Ellie
Anonymous
Wow!!! This is so neat! I am so excited to hear more about her story! Do you have pictures you could share? What was her name? Will the book include the story of how she met her husband too?
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Thank you for the encouragement! Her name was Hilda. π I'm sure I will mention how she met her husband, but the focus will be on her childhood. I'll have to see if I can hunt down some old pictures.
Ellie
Anonymous
Love this! Do you know when the book will be finished? Do you already have a publisher???
nashvillewife@gmail.com
As soon as I can get it finished. π I would love to finish by next spring, but I've never written a book before, so it could take longer. I haven't started searching for a publisher yet.
Ellie
Anonymous
How much do you have written now? How many chapters do you anticipate the book being? I'm sure your grandmother must have been so glad to have her granddaughter so interested in hearing her story! π
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Hi there,
I just finished outlining the book, which took quite a while. So far I have the prologue and half of chapter 1 written. I'm thinking it will be around 10 chapters. Unfortunately, my grandma died several years ago, but she left behind a memoir. I know if she was alive today she would be thrilled to see her story turned into a book. I have contact with her brother and his kids, and they are thrilled about the project. They still live in Germany.
Ellie
Anonymous
That's so exciting! Just out of curiosity…it is going to be a small book, or will the chapters be fairly long?
nashvillewife@gmail.com
I haven't for sure yet, but I'm sure the chapters will be decently long. π
Ellie
Anna Radchenko
Love this post and can't wait for your book! π My husband was born in Russia, as were his 5 younger siblings, and his parents travelled to America with the children when he was in grade school to escape persecution and present opportunity of a better life for their children. We are currently expecting our first child, and I hope they will grow up knowing much about their family history.
nashvillewife@gmail.com
That's a neat story. I agree that it's important to teach kids about their family history. It's a great way to keep the stories from being forgotten.
Ellie
Unknown
I can't wait!!!
nashvillewife@gmail.com
And I can't wait to share it with you! π
Ellie
Anonymous
Good news!!! I love WWII history
nashvillewife@gmail.com
That's good to hear!
Ellie
Anonymous
Hey, I'd read it! I love WWII books.
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Well thank you! I look forward to sharing it!
Ellie
Anonymous
Would love to see a timeline of her life/the events of the book!!!
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Alrighty. π I will probably wait until I have written more of the story to share that, but I'm grateful for your interest!
Ellie
Anonymous
Have you read The Hiding Place (biography) by Corrie ten Boom and the Hidden Masterpiece series (historical fiction) by Kristy Cambron? I think they have similar storylines to your book! π
nashvillewife@gmail.com
I haven't yet, but I plan to read The Hiding Place and other books for inspiration, and I'll add the Hidden Masterpiece to my list. Thanks!
Ellie
Anonymous
Very interesting story (especially for a history major like myself and granddaughter of a holocaust survivor). But I'm confused about the UN officials who tried to deport your grandmother. The UN wasn't established until after the war and once established the organization often found itself at odds with Soviet interests. Why would the UN be deporting Ukrainians or Germans to Siberia? Wasn't Stalin responsible for that? In fact it was the UN that would investigate and ultimately indict the Soviets for deporting thousands of Estonians. Just curious! Regardless, very interesting story.
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Just realized that I posted my response to your comment on a different thread. Sorry about that. Here's what I meant to say:
You must have heard some crazy stories as the granddaughter of a holocaust survivor.
It was two years after the war that they tried to repatriate her, and surprisingly, the Allies helped Stalin enforce the repatriation of former Russians. It has been called "the secret betrayal." Hard to believe…
Ellie
Anonymous
Can't wait to read your book.
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Hi there,
You must have heard some crazy stories as the granddaughter of a holocaust survivor.
It was two years after the war that they tried to repatriate her, and surprisingly, the Allies helped Stalin enforce the repatriation of former Russians. It has been called "the secret betrayal." Hard to believe…
Ellie
Anonymous
I can see your book getting famous:)
Yvette
Anonymous
Man's inhumanity makes me cry….
Anonymous
If you're interested in literature from WW2, check out author Imre Kertesz. He just died a few months ago, was from Hungary and was a concentration camp survivor. I read his most known book last year and it was a heartbreakingly realistic depiction of what concentration camps were like for teenagers.
Then, if you're more interested in the peaceful Resistance to the Nazi dictatorship that common people created, there's this amazing book by German author Hans Fallada, which is called "Every man dies alone".
Anonymous
I wonder what the title of the book will be and will u have a book signing. I know im thinking far ahead but I am excited for you
Anonymous
She's still in the early stages. She needs to actually write it first and then find a publisher. Which are two extremely difficult things.
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Sometimes I find myself daydreaming about holding the physical copy in my hand. I'm also looking forward to coming up with a title, but I'm sure I'll wait till it's finished. If anyone has any ideas, let me know!
Ellie
Anonymous
Hi Ellie!
That's exciting about your book! I'm looking forward to it.
I remember my politics professor mentioning that Ukranians don't appreciate their country being referred to as "the Ukraine," as opposed to simply "Ukraine." Apparently the use of the definite article can imply that they are just a region of Russia instead of an independent country. I thought that might be worth considering.
All the best with the book!
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Thanks for mentioning that! And thank you for the encouragement. π
Ellie
Anonymous
Will you include some pictures? (:
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Including a few pictures in the book is a great idea. Thanks!
Ellie
Tara G.
We lived in Ukraine for about 5 years & always enjoy hearing stories like these.
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Cool! What area did you live in? My grandmother lived in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
Ellie
Luba
Excited for the book!
I'm Ukrainian, moved from Ukraine when I was 7, now I'm almost 20. π
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Hi Luba,
That's neat to hear! What part of Ukraine did you live in?
Ellie
Sabine Pereira
Hey Ellie
Really interesting to read about your book project! I am actually also writing a book about my grandmothers story who was in France during WWII working as a nanny. Whilst my grandma spoke about her time in France, I found a lot of information only after she died (like many letters which she stored in a wooden box) and now wish I could ask her all the questions I have. I actually was in France for a research trip in summer and found out a lot of details which help me to finish my project.
So, if you need help with your research, I am happy to help (I am a native german speaker living in Switzerland….)! And interested to hear how it goes with your book! All the best!
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Hi Sabine,
I'm glad you reached out. That's very neat that you are also writing a book! And thank you for the offer to help with my research. When you have a chance, can you send me an email so I have your contact info? NashvilleWife@gmail.com
Ellie
rebeccamp10
Wow, how neat is that! Keep us posted om your progress please! π
Anonymous
Congratulations!! I wish you well as you complete it.
Ashley
Wow! Your grandmother's story sounds really interesting. That'll be an intriguing book to read. π
Ire adding this post makes me want to write a book about my grandparent's life.
In Christ's love,
Ashley
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Thank you, Ashley! So glad to hear that you're interested. I bet there are tons of stories out there that are waiting to be told.
Ellie