Refuge: A True Story of Steadfast Faith Amidst the Horror of Russian Occupation

by Liane I. Brown

Christian novel

Genres: World War II, Biography

199 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1987

About the author

Thousands of stories have been told about the deprivation and horrors of the Second World War, but there is one aspect that has received little attention: the story of the East Prussian villagers, grandparents, wives and children who had as little control over their future as the victims of the concentration camps. Those who lived in the western part of the country could rebuild their lives after 1945 with the help of the Allied Forces. Those, however, living under Russian control in the eastern part of the country were treated brutally, misused, forced to live without sustenance and had to endure around the clock harassment. Anyone who managed to escape death was mercilessly chased west.
Emmy Guddat and her four children found refuge in the Neumark district of Germany while Emil Guddat, a non-Nazi, was conscripted to serve as a supply officer in the German army. Escape from the town of Lippehne in January of 1945 became impossible because of the swiftly advancing Russian army. Starvation, constant harassment and death surrounded the family. Only prayer and a total reliance upon God miraculously opened a way of escape to freedom in Berlin.

Living in different refugee camps in the American and British zones for four years, became years of testing and depravity. After Emil Guddat’s return from a POW camp in Algiers, Africa, his seven-and-a-half year separation from the family miraculously ended. Starting a business in the West was most difficult for refugees who were despised by their own countrymen. Through the efforts of Emil’s sister, Martha, in the United States of America, daughter Liane was the first to emigrate to America. In 1958 God used the kindness of a Christian family from Long Island, NY to sponsor entry to the USA for the remaining members of the family.

Liane tells the true story of her East Prussian family’s steadfast faith and struggle for survival amidst the horror of Russian invasion and occupation in her autobiographies "Refuge" and "From Fear to Freedom."

Reviews

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs Brown in person. In fact, it was she who gifted me the book. Some parts of the story seemed to be a bit confusing and hard to follow. However, it's important to keep in mind that English is the author's third language. The story itself was remarkable and quite a testament to God's goodness and a family's faithfulness.

TW: rape is mentioned several times but never described in detail, gore, trauma

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very powerful and fast moving book, the story of a family in East Germany during the Russian occupation during and after the 2nd World War. They were strong Christians and God sustained them through some very difficult circumstances.
My father personally knows the author who was a girl in this story and wrote the book when she was an adult. So it makes the story more powerful knowing that it is really true and not enhanced at all.

[Jenny Hartfelder · Rating 2 out of 5]

In theory, this book deserves five stars, simply out of respect for the faith of the family and the horrors they endured. However, I found it to be far too graphic, with every page filled with detailed descriptions of the horrors endured, including rapes, suicide, starvation, dismemberment, and grotesque living conditions. Rather than providing an overarching story with the individual details softened by the passage of time, it reads like a journal, with every horror as real as the day it was endured.

** I finished this once many years ago, and was rereading to determine whether it was appropriate for my children and worthy of shelf-space. I'm choosing not to finish it, and will be passing it on to leave room for books of a more uplifting nature.

[Frances Winslow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I said a prayer of Thanksgiving when I finished reading...for the freedom that I enjoy.

We must never take our freedom for granted. It could be taken from us. We must keep our faith and trust that as long as we honor God as a nation and in our private lives, He will abide with us. Lately, however, culture is changing. Christianity and Christians are not held in the high esteem that we once were when I was younger in the 40's and 50's. Culture began to change in the 60's. We need a revival to take place. Prayer is that the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ can be freely preached in all nations.

[Penney Letbetter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story concentrates on, what for me is a little-known aspect of World War II, the Russian side of things. I read the book a few years ago because I am friends with the daughter of the author. I read it again because I go to church with the author. Her story has become more real to me. She doesn’t hide the brutality of what her family went through and she doesn’t glorify it either. I appreciate the honesty as the people struggle with their faith. And I am grateful for how the people encourage each other to still trust God.

[Anne Snyder]

Very interesting story of what it was actually like to live in Germany during WW2 and Russian occupation.

[David-sarah Eoute · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been on our bookshelf for a few years and I was never interested in it because the outdated cover makes it look like junior high age reading. Wow! Was I wrong! Once I read the first few pages, I had a hard time putting it down. Written by the daughter of a German Christian family who lived through the horrors of the Russian Occupation, this biography is well-written and very "real"--definitely not junior high appropriate! My overall impression was 1) thankfulness for the freedoms my family has had in America, 2) guilt for taking these freedoms for granted and not realizing what others have gone through to obtain their freedom, and 3) the realization that life may not always be so easy for us--the life they knew was turned upsidedown before they knew what was happening. They continued to be faithful to the Lord and depend on Him through all this. I pray the same would be true of me.

[Kris Furtaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an awesome book. A friend of mine gave me this book knowing I have an interest in Germany. I am thankful to have read it. I had never read an account like this and thoroughly enjoyed the book. Don't pass it up because of the cover art - it is worth a deeper look. A true story of faith, sacrifice, Christian love and family bonds.

[Marieli · Rating 4 out of 5]

the best book I've read that recounts the experience's the German people had under the Russian occupation.