English Girl, German Boy: World War II from Both Sides (utgåvan 2005)

I was given the book by its publisher, Hilary Borner. I had recently been to Costa Rica, where I had met Tessa Borner; the late Martin Borner had been my customer back in the 1990's. The book is cleverly presented with photographs and contemporary letters. Then the accounts of each spouse are juxtaposed so that one can view WW2 and its aftermath from the personal experiences of civilians, whose lives merge as post-war immigrants to Canada.

The writing is first class and the stories flow along smoothly, but counterpoised with entirely different war time experiences. I had recently stayed in Halifax, near Pier 21, where so many immigrants like Martin and Tessa arrived, and where my own father had departed for service overseas in 1945.

Martin's account of the invasion and occupation of the Russian Army and the bombing of Dresden and his personal experiences escaping that bombing and then across the border into West Germany twice was particularly gripping. I highly recommend this book to anybody who has an interest in the impact WW2 had on civilians living in the danger zones. ( )