Distributed by: Simon & Schuster
ISBN13: 9781647420031
Buy the Book: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop
Overview
When Gabrielle Robinson found her grandfather’s diaries, she made two discoveries: she was overwhelmed by the details of her beloved Api struggling to survive during the fall of Berlin 1945 and shocked to find out that he had been a Nazi.
Readers will get direct insight into Api’s life as a doctor. He had stayed behind in Berlin even after his family had fled, to help the wounded in nightmarish medical cellars without water or light. The stench of blood and excrement hung over all since toilets had ceased to function. The dead were stacked in the rubble outside.
Readers also are invited to reflect on German guilt, political responsibility, and confronting the past. They may be inspired to think about the role of history in their own lives.
The book also is a memoir of Gabrielle’s early life from her birth in Berlin 1942, then shuttled between Vienna and Northern Germany until Api could give her a loving and stable home up to his death in 1955.
Praise
“As a record of post-war tribulation, Api’s Berlin Diaries is a poignant social history; as a search for an elusive, multifaceted grandfather, it’s a fascinating labyrinth.”
— Foreword Reviews 5 stars
“This is a must-read for anyone interested in the German experience during WWII.”
— Ariana Neumann, author of When Time Stopped
“This is not a book I will forget any time soon. The story and the questions stay with me.”
— Story Circle Book Reviews 5 stars
“Robinson’s account of the war years, and the horrors of living in bombed-out ruins, are riveting…. Her book adds to our slowly accumulating knowledge of what the war looked like from ‘the other side,’ and takes its place beside books like W.G. Sebald’s On the Natural History of Destruction and Antony Beevor’s The Fall of Berlin 1945.” Notre Dame Review
“Robinson’s honesty, courage, and intelligence are crucial in coming to grips with questions of political responsibility and collective guilt.” — Helen Fremont, author of The Escape Artist
“A grand-daughter stumbles across a hidden diary written by her grandfather in 1945 in Berlin, and thus begins the author’s quest to uncover details about his past. It sounds like something from a movie trailer or the perfect plot for a historical fiction thriller…but in this case, it’s not a premise, but rather the real-life experience of author Gabrielle Robinson.”
— Jennifer Borse
“This was a memoir unlike anything I’ve ever read. I also had to read this in parts, sit down, digest it and then pick it up again…. I loved the history of this book and the love the author has for her grandfather. If you’re looking for a memoir that has history and pulls at your heart definitely read this!”
—jayme_reads
“I want more books like this that examine the complex moral realities of the time.”
— booksandbackroads
South Bend Author seeks Answers to Grandpa’s Nazi Past, sees a Link to Present
Awards and Recognition
2024 Nr 1 BookLife Indie Spotlight “World War 2 and Military History”
2021 Nautilus Silver in Memoir and Personal Journey
2021 Eric Hoffer Finalist in Memoir
2021 Montaigne Medal Finalist, for “the most thought-provoking books”
2021 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist in Memoir
2020 Nonfiction Authors Assoc. Bronze in Memoir
Photo Gallery
Pages from Api’s diary
Reichstag after the Fall of Berlin
Berlin 1945
Api making house calls with Gabrielle in back, Suderburg 1946
Api and Gabrielle, 1949
