I Stood Among the Ruins and Cried shares your story of growing up in Germany post-WWII with a dysfunctional family brought on by the hardships of living in a war-torn country. Why was this an important book for you to write?

Writing my childhood memoir was never on my agenda. I was working on a historical novel and needed a new home for my young German protagonist after the collapse of the Third Reich and the fascist regime in northern Italy. That new home became Bremerhaven, a port in northern Germany where I grew up. Walking down post-WWII memory lane triggered an overwhelming number of recollections, some sad some funny, all of which left me in a melancholic state. There was only one way to ease my mind: turn those recollections into a book. Writing the book was therapy for the soul and the book has now become a little history of me as a child, for my family and generations to come, and for all those who wish to know what it was like for a child to grow up surrounded by ruins.

What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?

The importance of books. Books were my saviour. I was an early reader. Fortunately, reading was encouraged in my family. After many unhappy moments, I sought refuge in the stories I read. Books became my trusted friends, my escape from reality, another learning route, a source to satisfy my curious mind. To this day, I cannot imagine a life without a good book.

I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?

My mother. She deserved a kinder husband, a more loving father to their children. It was painful to write about my middle brother’s life, his death and her devastation, and about her nervous breakdown.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from your story?

The importance of peace. I want to illuminate the devastating effect of war on a nation’s soul and all individuals, where nobody is spared, and where especially the children, the most innocent, pay a high price.

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