One of my favorite books is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin (do I need to even say who wrote that book?). I remember thinking how “awful” the book was but was determined to finish it. I was about a third way through the book when I realized I couldn’t put it down. When I finished the book, I quickly bought the A&E 5-hour version of Pride and Prejudice (this was way before the Keira Knightley version). Why am I telling you this? Keep reading…
If you have read any of my previous posts, you know that one of my “talking points” is making sure students understand not all Germans were Nazis. I try to teach them the fallacy of composition – the mistake of thinking that is what is true for one is true for all (if one German was a Nazi, all Germans were Nazis…we all are guilty of thinking this way in many aspects of our lives). I had never read a book that remotely told the other side until Adam Makos’s book A Higher Call (although told through a military viewpoint). Slowly, I have been finding and reading books of German life during Hitler’s reign. This is important to me because my grandmother was a child, in Germany, during that time. She never talked to us about life during that time; reading more about the average German (not the Brown Shirts depicted in textbooks) allows me to understand more about her and her life (her story). This is also why Kelly Rimmer’s book The Things We Cannot Say is, by far, one of my favorite books (click for blog post). Why am I telling you this? Keep reading…
I was super excited when I realized Kelly Rimmer came out with a new novel – The German Wife. So, here is a synopsis: (Amazon link)
Berlin, Germany, 1930—When the Nazis rise to power, Sofie von Meyer Rhodes and her academic husband benefit from the military ambitions of Germany’s newly elected chancellor when Jürgen is offered a high-level position in their burgeoning rocket program. Although they fiercely oppose Hitler’s radical views, and joining his ranks is unthinkable, it soon becomes clear that if Jürgen does not accept the job, their income will be taken away. Then their children. And then their lives.
Huntsville, Alabama, 1950—Twenty years later, Jürgen is one of many German scientists pardoned and granted a position in America’s space program. For Sofie, this is a chance to leave the horrors of her past behind. But when rumors about the Rhodes family’s affiliation with the Nazi party spread among her new American neighbors, idle gossip turns to bitter rage, and the act of violence that results tears apart a family and leaves the community wondering—is it an act of vengeance or justice?
I think this would be a great book to read for a history class, making students chronologically detail all the events from the two different perspectives – the American wife and the German wife. It took me a few chapters in until I realized that when I read about an event in Germany during a specific year, I will also read what is happening with the American wife during that same year. I found it a fascinating way to tell a story. You may be wondering why I told you about Pride and Prejudice. Well, I may be the only person to think this but feel this is a “Pride and Prejudice” type story – the American wife who groups all Germans in one category while failing to realize she led a different life as well (you have to read to understand that point); the American wife very prideful of who she is yet failing to realize the false life she lives; the American wife that is prejudice against every German without knowing more. Are we so prideful that we consider ourselves more worthy of others? Do we falsely group everyone in one category due to the failings (the wrongs) of one? Don’t we all have a little “pride” and “prejudice” in us?
I know Kelly Rimmer wrote other books before The Things We Cannot Say and The German Wife; however, I had never heard of her until a few years ago (I am actually reading another one of her earlier books right now). The two I have read (and the one I am reading now) are great books – clean, great storyline, emotionally engaging! If you have never read her books, start with The Things We Cannot Say then read this one (and I am going to go ahead and say you will also love the one I am reading now which I will post about soon). So…Happy Reading!
