Eleanor's Story

Written by Eleanor Ramrath Garner

A young American struggles to survive and maintain her identity in Nazi Germany during WWII.

4.1/5 Goodreads · 745 ratings

288 pages

$19.99Save 5%

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Bookroo's summary

Eleanor's world turns upside down when her family moves to Germany just as WWII erupts. Trapped as enemy aliens, she clings to her American roots while navigating the dangers of Nazi Berlin. Enrolled in German schools and Hitler's Youth, Eleanor faces bombings, hunger, and the Soviet invasion. Can she endure the chaos and hold onto hope for an Allied victory? This gripping tale of survival and identity offers a unique perspective on life in wartime Germany.

From the publisher

An engrossing coming-of-age autobiography of a young American caught in Nazi Germany during World War II. During the Great Depression, when Eleanor is nine, her family moves from her beloved America to Germany, from which her parents had emigrated years before and where her father has been offered a job he cannot pass up. But when war suddenly breaks out as her family is crossing the Atlantic, they realize returning to the United States isn’t an option. They arrive in Berlin as enemy aliens.Eleanor tries to maintain her American identity as she feels herself pulled into the turbulent life roiling around her. She and her brother are enrolled in German schools and in Hitler’s Youth (a requirement). She fervently hopes for an Allied victory, yet for years she must try to survive the Allied bombs shattering her neighborhood. Her family faces separations, bombings, hunger, the final fierce battle for Berlin, the Russian invasion, and the terrors of Soviet occupancy.This compelling story is heart-racing at times and immerses readers in a first-hand account of Nazi Germany, surviving World War II as a civilian, and immigration.

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