Born In The Cradle Of War: A Personal Journey into a Xenophobia-torn Past

By Erika Strupp-Martin

Born in Germany in 1954, ten-year-old Erika, who lives with her father and stepmother in a multigenerational house located in a small Rhineland village where people are still recovering from WWII, is sent alone on a transatlantic flight to live with her mother and stepfather in Toronto Ontario. On the flight, feeling alienated and alone, she wonders why she was sent away from her family in Germany and concludes it is because her stepmother didn't want her. Things don't go well in Canada because many people still have strong, anti-german sentiments, and Erika feels like an outsider and an alien for being labeled a "Nazi."
At twelve, Erika's mother and stepfather immigrate with her to Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A.. Again, she is the recipient of prejudice and discrimination from kids at school who call her an ugly Nazi scag and other insulting names because she is German. Erika turns within herself to fight the demons plaguing her since early childhood. Ever since leaving Germany, she's been tormented by a repeating dream about returning to her homeland. Still, she never makes it in her dreams because her trip is always met with a disaster, like an airplane crashing, a boat sinking, or some such thing. As an adult, Erika's childhood trauma severely affects her life. She realizes that, just like the Holocaust survivors, she too is a victim of a xenophobia-torn past That, coupled with her family problems, makes her feel inferior, marginalized, and alien.
Gut-wrenching and powerful, Born In The Cradle Of War: A Personal Journey Into A Xenophobia-torn Past will touch the hearts and minds of readers.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0BVT8GR1V
• ISBN13: 9798374258639
• Release Date: February 2023
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 132 Pages
• Weight: 0.41 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"