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Angels in the Darkness: A Family's Triumph over Hitler and World War II Berlin: 1935-1949
It is 1936 and Jesse Owens is poised for victory. Berlin is on full display. Hitler is firmly in control. Six-year-old Jutta Bolle relishes Owens's victory and the excitement of the Olympics. But the darkness is already engulfing Jutta's world as her family confronts the evil of Hitler. Each year brings more unimagined hardships and heartbreaks until finally, in 1945, bombs destroy what remains of Berlin and fifteen-year-old Jutta and her father run for their lives. The Russians are coming. In a matter of days Berlin will be surrounded, unleashing a new round of misery.
Angels in the Darkness tells the dramatic true story of the Bolles' struggle to survive the tyranny of Hitler's government, a war they did not believe in, and the subsequent brutal occupation of their home and city by the Russians. Ultimately, it is the story of the strength of will over forces beyond our control, and of a young girl's admiration for the Americans who liberate her city, bringing hope and the promise of freedom.
About the Author
Lisa Farringer Parker is a successful attorney and author. A former professor of writing at Arizona State University, she has appeared on CNN and is a regular contributor to the Arizona Republic. She lives in Paradise Valley, Arizona, with her husband, Vernon B. Parker, the former mayor, and her two children. Jutta Bolle is her mother.
Angels in the Darkness tells the dramatic true story of the Bolles' struggle to survive the tyranny of Hitler's government, a war they did not believe in, and the subsequent brutal occupation of their home and city by the Russians. Ultimately, it is the story of the strength of will over forces beyond our control, and of a young girl's admiration for the Americans who liberate her city, bringing hope and the promise of freedom.
About the Author
Lisa Farringer Parker is a successful attorney and author. A former professor of writing at Arizona State University, she has appeared on CNN and is a regular contributor to the Arizona Republic. She lives in Paradise Valley, Arizona, with her husband, Vernon B. Parker, the former mayor, and her two children. Jutta Bolle is her mother.
- GenresWorld War II
541 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
3 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 28, 2011
A wonderful, terrible book. It showed me a side of Germans in World War II that I had never imagined. The thousands who starved to death or froze to death because of Hitler was beyond comprehension. I have read about what happened to the Jews and other "undesirables", but had no idea of what it was like for German citizens, some of whom supported Hitler. The family whose memoir this is did not approve of him. This is a remarkable coming of age story of a young German girl and well worth reading.
January 8, 2020
Riveting reading
I couldn’t stop reading this very interesting and descriptive story that reflected a young girl’s life during war in Germany.
I couldn’t stop reading this very interesting and descriptive story that reflected a young girl’s life during war in Germany.
July 12, 2022
Good story, but took me forever to read! Easy to pick up whenever I did
May 9, 2016
Angels in the Darkness is a stunning achievement resulting from felicitous access to remarkable primary source material. This is the memoir of a woman who was ten years old in 1939 and living in Berlin. The Bolle family was wealthy, well-known and respected, living in the prestigious suburb of Dahlem from whence Jewish families began to flee after the Kristallnacht, and into those derelict houses first came high-ranking Nazis, and later American officers. Jutta Bolle went to school with Himmler’s daughter and Field Marshall Keitel lived around the corner!
The insight Jutta shares about the family’s fear of the Nazis, the terror of the bombing and the arrival of the Russians is both warm and chilling. Her voice is real and carries the reader right into the events that she witnessed with her description of daily life in wartime Germany. She is both engaging and appealing, and her narrative strips bare many popularly held ideas of this formative period of human disaster. Lisa Farringer Parker’s masterpiece will engross history buffs, war story aficionados, and human-interest fans equally. It’s an unforgettable read!
The insight Jutta shares about the family’s fear of the Nazis, the terror of the bombing and the arrival of the Russians is both warm and chilling. Her voice is real and carries the reader right into the events that she witnessed with her description of daily life in wartime Germany. She is both engaging and appealing, and her narrative strips bare many popularly held ideas of this formative period of human disaster. Lisa Farringer Parker’s masterpiece will engross history buffs, war story aficionados, and human-interest fans equally. It’s an unforgettable read!
July 18, 2013
I didn't find the book very gripping. There were some interesting facts and perspectives of the times presented, but the writing overall was pretty boring. I thought the story would be more interesting than it was given the period of history it is talking about. There many sections of the story where the writing was mundane and repetitive. I think there are better books available that tell this story in a more engaging style.
March 17, 2015
Shortlisted for the Rubery Book Award Non Fiction Category
This book grabs you from the start. It takes a very different approach from most books about World War 2, as it tells the true story of a German family who lived among the high ranking Nazi officers in a village near Berlin. It covers the rise of Hitler and later the brutal occupation by the Russians. The photographs add to the enjoyment of the book. Fascinating, but extremely long. It might have been better in two volumes!
This book grabs you from the start. It takes a very different approach from most books about World War 2, as it tells the true story of a German family who lived among the high ranking Nazi officers in a village near Berlin. It covers the rise of Hitler and later the brutal occupation by the Russians. The photographs add to the enjoyment of the book. Fascinating, but extremely long. It might have been better in two volumes!
March 9, 2013
I've read many books regarding life during the Holocaust, but this one was written from a different point of view. Well done, well written.
June 2, 2013
Excellent well told story of real people in WW 2 and what those against Hitler went through. Also a interesting view if the Russians that is still valid today.
October 1, 2016
Beautifully written very interesting book. How it was to grow up rich and anti Nazi in Berlin in the 1940s. I enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews