Rhonda Johnson
asked
Annette Oppenlander:
What a beautiful book of perseverance and love! I love that it was written about your parents struggle and survival during the war! I have read so many books surrounding the war, but none that focused on the German people and their struggles/ especially the children. Did they both share their stories openly, or how did it come about reliving those hard memories?
Annette Oppenlander
Hello Rhonda,
Thank you so much for reaching out to me with your question! I'm happy you enjoyed 'Surviving the Fatherland.' In 2002 I visited them in Germany and asked them to retell their stories. I recorded everything with a small old-fashioned tape recorder. Quite often I asked additional questions so they'd go deeper. They were very open about the actions and occurrences during these years.
At the same time, a lot of the emotion you experience in the book is my interpretation of what they felt. Particularly my mother suffered greatly under her upbringing and was not able to express everything. It took me 15 years to get this story written and I think one reason it took so long was, to write it in a deeply moving way. I think writing the book helped me understand my parents a lot better. Sadly, my mother passed away in 2004 at the age of 72. My father is still alive at 89.
Thanks for reading and reaching out!
Annette
Thank you so much for reaching out to me with your question! I'm happy you enjoyed 'Surviving the Fatherland.' In 2002 I visited them in Germany and asked them to retell their stories. I recorded everything with a small old-fashioned tape recorder. Quite often I asked additional questions so they'd go deeper. They were very open about the actions and occurrences during these years.
At the same time, a lot of the emotion you experience in the book is my interpretation of what they felt. Particularly my mother suffered greatly under her upbringing and was not able to express everything. It took me 15 years to get this story written and I think one reason it took so long was, to write it in a deeply moving way. I think writing the book helped me understand my parents a lot better. Sadly, my mother passed away in 2004 at the age of 72. My father is still alive at 89.
Thanks for reading and reaching out!
Annette
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