In Search of a Childhood Song

By Vera Miller

"Wow, Mom, that sounds like an awful trip," I said. "No," she said, her voice wavering. "It was the best trip of my life " Upon hearing this statement at age thirteen, the author became hooked on her... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0978690095
• ISBN13: 9780978690090
• Release Date: March 2007
• Publisher: Kambook Publishing
• Length: 173 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A Must Read!

I was fascinated by Vera Miller's book, "In Search of A Childhood Song", when I found it because I'm from German heritage. This was a great opportunity to learn more about my history and the lives of the people who lived during WWII and beyond. A family with great strength went through many obstacles to find freedom. What I felt to be very uplifting was that Vera's family turned their hard times and tragedies into blessings and positive experiences. Vera Miller is a very talented writer. Her writing style made me feel like I was a part of her family's life throughout the book. I laughed and cried and felt like I knew her characters. Reading "In Search of A Childhood Song" reminded me that we all can turn any challenge into a growing experience. Leslie Freude, Santa Clarita, CA

Inspiring

In Search of a Childhood Song is written as though you were having a conversation with the author. Vera's ease of storytelling compels you to keep reading until all of your questions, as well as the authors, are answered. This book will make you want to research your own unspoken information that brings forth pride and joy when reflecting on your family history.

Best Read of 2007.

In all sincerity, I do not recall any other book holding my attention more than Vera Miller's " In Search of a Childhood Song." I especially enjoyed the simplicity of what could have been a very entailed and complicated recounting. ( considering the period of time she is drawing from.) Ms Miller did a wonderful job sticking to the story line, the family history and her quest to know more about it. I found the little bits of history as side notes to be very helpful in allowing me to better connect-places, times, and events. Some I would have been unsure about otherwise. I was intrigued, saddened, delighted, and fully engrossed from the beginning to the end of this book. In Search of a Childhood Song is a beautiful, well written story that gets around the heart. Thank you Vera Miller for putting faces and feelings to a story that belongs to so many. Bea Kunz Petersburg, Tennessee

journey to freedom

Ms Miller will surely touch your heart with her narrative. I felt as if I knew them all: her parents,her aunts and uncles,cousins and her Oma and Opa (grandmother and grandfather). This family certainly has a lot of love. Just before the end of WW2 in January 1945, German soldiers were fleeing from the Russians and warned the town's citizens. The family had to make difficult choices. Ms Miller recounts the choices made and the consequences of those choices. The family found themselves trapped under the rule of the Russians. They endured many hardships including separations of family members. It would be years before most family members could realize their dreams of freedom. The book is written in three time frames:the one listed above, a visit to communist Poland and West Germany in 1963,and a visit to Germany in 2005. I found the time frame had a special place in my heart and mind,as do the places involved. I had been to all the places in Germany that she wrote about and could clearly revisit them in my mind when I read Ms Miller's descriptions. I eagerly read the book and completed it the same day.

Destined to Survive

From the very first paragraph, I was captivated with Vera Millers writing. Her book is the story of her mother's girlhood in Germany and of her escape from Communism. It is drawn from memories her mother tried to bury. I admire Miller's tenacity in persevering 30 years in quest for answers to questions about her family's fascinating history and genealogy. The book is divided into three parts. Part One is an introduction to the stories and characters discussed in detail throughout the book. Part Two covers a trip the author made to Germany in 2005. In a warm intimate writing style Miller shares her impressions and insights into the country of her heritage, Germany. These experiences and the family she revisited or newly met lay the groundwork which uncover the essentials of the story to follow, the period from 1939 through 1952, the years immediately preceding and after WWII. In Part Three, Vera powerfully recounts the political and economic upheaval of eastern Germany during the rise of Hitler to power. She then describes the years of WWII, and the years immediately following, under Soviet communist rule. Although the story revolves around the events leading up to her parent's immigration to the United States, Miller traces the stories of each of her mother's siblings, throughout the same period of time. Their stories are haunting, disturbing, dramatic, as well as romantic. Vera Miller is a gifted story teller and her book "In Search of a Childhood Song" offers hope and encouragement to those in search of their own childhood song. Heart warming and informative, a great read.