A Child in Berlin is the gripping true story of childhood mischief and deprivations in Nazi-infested Berlin, a mother’s courageous choices, and a young girl’s ultimate resilience to survive alone. It is authored by Rhonda Lauritzen about the experience of Heidi Posnien during World War II.
Watch this short book trailer:
Here is the url: https://youtu.be/XchH-hFi9iw?si=BYxuJNfOJzEVkds6
Where to buy the book:
A Child in Berlin was traditionally published by Post Hill Press 10.29.2024
The King’s English Bookshop for author-signed copies:
We are delighted about our partnership with The King’s English Bookshop in Salt Lake City. If you are unable to attend one of our events and would like a SIGNED copy, they will take orders now to ship in mid-November.
Here is their secure ordering page: https://www.kingsenglish.com/item/8uS83FlDHQu2ZeAilGRrJA
Amazon.com
- Paperback and ebookson Amazon here: https://amzn.to/4f45V1q (free shipping with Amazon prime)
- The publisher has now made a special-edition hardcover available: https://amzn.to/3Vlbi4x
Upcoming events for A Child in Berlin
Purchase a book, get it signed, and greet Heidi Posnien & Rhonda Lauritzen
Weber County Library, Pleasant Valley Branch
- Saturday, February 22 at 2:00 PM
- 5568 Adams Avenue, Washington Terrace, UT 84405
The Weber County Library reported that our event at the Huntsville branch was the best-attended event in the history of that location. Our event at The King’s English Bookshop filled to capacity a week beforehand.
Description
A Child in Berlin is the true story of a mother, a daughter, and their courage in the face of Nazi terror. Käthe is a mother who must choose between her dreams as a rising star in the opera and her conscience. She discovers the truth about her Jewish friends around the time she attends a dinner party presided by Adolf Hitler himself.
She realizes she cannot remain among Nazi society and makes the gut-wrenching choice to leave the opera. To support herself and young Heidi, she joins Berlin’s black-market network and ends up dealing with more than just food. As others evacuate the capital, Käthe harbors a secret that anchors them in the epicenter of danger.
While Käthe becomes ever more preoccupied with survival, Heidi and a roving pack of friends make mischief in Berlin’s rubble. The war devolves, and she braves hunger, cold, and feelings of abandonment as she shuttles between Berlin and the Polish countryside. Heidi’s ultimate test comes when she must survive alone in a bombed-out apartment during the final weeks of World War II. Her moxie shows how children are capable of far more than adults realize.
A Post Hill Press Book
ISBN: 979-8-88845-908-9
ISBN (eBook): 979-8-88845-909-6
Author Bio
Rhonda Lauritzen is a professional biographer who has written a dozen books as well as histories of buildings and places. She teaches the art of true storytelling at international conferences and other venues. As the founder of Evalogue.Life, she believes that when you tell your story, it changes the ending.
Editorial review excerpts:
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Incredible book…it’s a page-turner, and the story just gets jucier and jucier. It’s an amazing story, and a book everybody should read. I’ll be reading it a second time.” —Eli Marcus, The Mayor of Times Square, and host of The Motivation Show
“A harrowing story of survival…Posnien hopes her story will help educate future generations about the horrors of war and the importance of standing up to tyranny.” —ABC4 Utah nightly news
“A Child In Berlin covers one of the darkest periods in history but proves that moments of light and hope shined through…The book is hard-hitting, crushingly emotional, filled with pain, guilt, shame, and often brutal details. But it is also stocked with moments of happiness, joy, and redemption. All this builds the poignant tale of Posnien and her mother’s struggle to survive during the fall of Germany. Through Posnien’s incredible story, her family is forever honored and will be an inspiration for years to come.” —Mike Ritchie, Covering the Scene
“The book begins in 1939 when Posnien and her opera-singing mother moved to Berlin, the same month Hitler invaded Poland. The Germans were looking for so-called pure Aryans to sing for opera-loving Berliners. And Posnien’s blonde, blue-eyed mother Käthe was a match. Even with the backdrop of a building war, Käthe considered it an honor to take up the offer, and she lived a heady existence — at first. She dated a Wehrmacht officer in the early days of the war and was once at a dinner party attended by Adolf Hitler. But things changed for her…and Posnien witnessed it all through the eyes of a child.” —Pamela McCall, Utah NPR host of All Things Considered
“The most credible way to know history, largely, is to hear it from someone who was there. Rhonda Lauritzen listened to the stories of a little girl, Heidi, who grew up in Germany during the Hitler atrocities. She has written Heidi’s story in the book called A Child in Berlin—breathtaking stories and pictures that take you into a time in our history most people would rather forget. But we know we cannot and should not.” —Dee Armstrong, ABC TV, Columbus, Georgia
“You might call this biography an introduction to another side of World War II…it captures the horrors of war and its transforming impact on some of the civilian adults and children.” —Donald H. Harrison, San Diego Jewish World
“Rhonda Lauritzen is a writer and a woman who can listen deeply and then put a story into print for generations to come…This is such an important story because it reveals history that has rarely been heard. It also attests to the strength of the human spirit and living life well into later decades.” —Kate Daniels
We will be at The Kings Bookshop on the 29 of January. Do we need to preorder a book or will they be there to purchase that evening?
Brad and Cathie Layton
Cathie, I am delighted you will come see us at The King’s English! The bookshop will have plenty of copies to buy that evening, and I encourage you to support them for being so kind to host this.