The German Mother by Debbie Rix

The German Mother by Debbie Rix was a heartbreaking book to read. 

Leila and Minki were inseparable friends and journalism students at Munich University.  Leila and Minki, upon graduation, wanted jobs in the journalistic field.  Leila was the more practical of the two and Minki was a good-time girl, enjoying the attention of the Nazi soldiers and living a really hedonistic life.

Leila married a charming man, a Jew.  Her husband Victor was taken by the Nazis because of his Jewish faith. 

Minki married a member of the Nazi party and at first, their marriage was everything she’d ever wanted.  Minki’s husband climbed the ladder of success within the Nazi party and became disinterested in Minki.  They had a daughter and twin sons.  Their daughter was deemed disabled because of epilepsy and was turned over to the Nazis by her father.

The story is inspired by true stories of mothers trying to ensure their children’s survival by any means during the war in Germany.  I was also inspired by the tenacity of these women who fought bravely for their children’s sake.  The horrors of the Nazi regime toward “undesirables” was surreal to me.

Ms. Rix did an excellent job of transporting the reader through the horror and devastation of the war.  The characters were shown as they probably were at that time.  Some bravely stood up for their beliefs no matter the consequences; others took on the mantle of Hitler and became madmen and madwomen for the cause.  She also portrayed the characters as they morphed into other personalities as the war machine continued.