In the summer of 1945, "Leni" Martin and her mother managed to flee to a nearby working farm called Krakasch. A year later, they, along with a handful of others including my grandmother, Elizabeth Prunkl, made a daring escape from the tyranny of Communist Yugoslavia across the Romanian border. From there, they made their way through Austria to Germany, where they were reunited with Leni's father. Leni spent the subsequent decade in Germany, where she met her husband Michael Gärtner, before emigrating to Ottawa, Canada. Her parents followed after another decade. Leni never quite recovered from the death of her sister Eva in the Russian labour camps in the year after WWII ended.

The remainder of the book is devoted to the struggles and pleasures of beginning a new life in a foreign land. Like most Donauschwaben, Leni and Michael are survivors -- hardy, optimistic people who made the best of their situation -- and they and their two children prospered. Leni and Michael still live a contented life in Nepean, Ontario, Canada, near Ottawa. They have four grandchildren and have traveled extensively, including a trip back to Setschanfeld and Germany.

Leni's story is a fascinating, easy-to-read account of the struggle, survival, and ultimate triumph of a single family in the face of the Donauschwaben genocide during and after WWII. Highly recommended.   --Arlene Prunkl, 2010 (Member 2003-2010: Editors' Association of Canada)
 

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[Published at DVHH.org 13 Jul 2010] Submitted by Arlene Prunkl