What do you think?
Rate this book
The Rings Of My Tree: A Latvian Woman's Journey
A young Latvian woman caught in a whirlwind of war. A story of extraordinary strength and honesty...an insight into daily living inside Nazi Germany for those forced to fly before they had wings of courage.
- GenresNonfictionHistoryMemoir
160 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2004
74 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 5, 2009
The monsters and beasts in my childhood bedtime stories were not imaginary. They were flesh and blood and in human form, and usually they wore the uniforms of the Red Army. They marched in my parents' memories, relentless and cruel, driving them from their homes in Latvia during World War II. My parents were refugees, displaced to camps in Germany in the 1940's while awaiting sponsors for their immigration to the United States. Although I was born in the States, I have known two homes, two cultures, two languages, two histories, and the stories on which I was raised have become a part of my ethnic inheritance.
Reading Jane E. Cunningham's book about another Latvian woman's personal journey as a refugee from Latvia to the United States during the war was like hearing the stories of my parents all over again. What amazed me, however, were the accuracy of perception and a to-the-core understanding of an experience the author could not have shared. Cunningham, after all, is not Latvian. She is an Irish-American living in Connecticut, a teacher, and no closer to the Latvian experience than, well, crossing the street, as it turned out. For 45 years, Cunningham has known and befriended her neighbor, Mirdza Vaselnieks Labrencis. Now a woman in her mid-eighties, Mirdza has shared her stories about her home in Latvia and her journey to America with her most attentive neighbor, resulting in this slender but powerful book. Cunningham has even written it as a first-person account-a daring move, but one at which she was surprisingly successful. In nearly every detail and perception, the story is Mirdza's. It is also the story of most all Latvian refugees.
To survive-"where there is life, there is hope"-Mirdza undergoes a psychological shifting in her spirit and in her psyche. "Inside my still anesthetized cocoon, the soul of the self is changing. This forced-by-war metamorphosis was a lonely place to be, and yet it seemed to be a place of unconscious, unfolding change that surfaced through a new, foreign determination that surprised me. Survival is a funny thing... tied to self-respect. The greedy monster ministers of war had separated my family, killed some of my friends, issued a warrant for my life, bombed my house... raped and pillaged my country and took away the normal use of my left side... the caterpillar in my mind was losing its slow-crawling legs and I have no idea when the wings of courage developed, but there was a flapping inside of me." (pgs. 31-32)
Pushed to its limits, human nature shows its true colors and true fiber. A frightened girl emerges a strong, determined young woman, doing what she must to survive and to establish some semblance of a new life for herself. It is not in her nature to be bold, Cunningham writes of her heroine, nor is it the nature of a nation to be subjected to the depravity of war. Those who cannot adapt-die. Those who find wings and tap into a core wisdom of resilience-live. Mirdza makes a decision to live.
To survive one does what one must, sometimes shutting off the mind, other times shutting off the heart. When required, both are called back into action. Cunningham writes of Mirdza's life in German refugee camps with a compassionate honesty, never glossing over Mirdza's very human moments of weakness, but letting her moments of personal heroism quietly shine in their own illumination.
Cunningham's account of a story so far, surely, from her own as an Irish-American living in Connecticut is testimony of the ability to bridge two cultures and two very different perspectives on life to form very human bonds of friendship. This slender volume is highly recommended for anyone willing to take a moment to appreciate what makes us all different... and what makes us all the same.
Reading Jane E. Cunningham's book about another Latvian woman's personal journey as a refugee from Latvia to the United States during the war was like hearing the stories of my parents all over again. What amazed me, however, were the accuracy of perception and a to-the-core understanding of an experience the author could not have shared. Cunningham, after all, is not Latvian. She is an Irish-American living in Connecticut, a teacher, and no closer to the Latvian experience than, well, crossing the street, as it turned out. For 45 years, Cunningham has known and befriended her neighbor, Mirdza Vaselnieks Labrencis. Now a woman in her mid-eighties, Mirdza has shared her stories about her home in Latvia and her journey to America with her most attentive neighbor, resulting in this slender but powerful book. Cunningham has even written it as a first-person account-a daring move, but one at which she was surprisingly successful. In nearly every detail and perception, the story is Mirdza's. It is also the story of most all Latvian refugees.
To survive-"where there is life, there is hope"-Mirdza undergoes a psychological shifting in her spirit and in her psyche. "Inside my still anesthetized cocoon, the soul of the self is changing. This forced-by-war metamorphosis was a lonely place to be, and yet it seemed to be a place of unconscious, unfolding change that surfaced through a new, foreign determination that surprised me. Survival is a funny thing... tied to self-respect. The greedy monster ministers of war had separated my family, killed some of my friends, issued a warrant for my life, bombed my house... raped and pillaged my country and took away the normal use of my left side... the caterpillar in my mind was losing its slow-crawling legs and I have no idea when the wings of courage developed, but there was a flapping inside of me." (pgs. 31-32)
Pushed to its limits, human nature shows its true colors and true fiber. A frightened girl emerges a strong, determined young woman, doing what she must to survive and to establish some semblance of a new life for herself. It is not in her nature to be bold, Cunningham writes of her heroine, nor is it the nature of a nation to be subjected to the depravity of war. Those who cannot adapt-die. Those who find wings and tap into a core wisdom of resilience-live. Mirdza makes a decision to live.
To survive one does what one must, sometimes shutting off the mind, other times shutting off the heart. When required, both are called back into action. Cunningham writes of Mirdza's life in German refugee camps with a compassionate honesty, never glossing over Mirdza's very human moments of weakness, but letting her moments of personal heroism quietly shine in their own illumination.
Cunningham's account of a story so far, surely, from her own as an Irish-American living in Connecticut is testimony of the ability to bridge two cultures and two very different perspectives on life to form very human bonds of friendship. This slender volume is highly recommended for anyone willing to take a moment to appreciate what makes us all different... and what makes us all the same.
January 10, 2008
War teaches you to hold back, to maintain peace at all costs. I am thankful that Mirdza found the strength within her to share with the world a story of a Baltic refugee who was forced to flee her beloved homeland during World War II.
This story could have been told by any number of my close family, if they had ever decided to confront the trauma and sorrowful story of of the war and the Baltic plight. Instead, they prefer to live in the moment of today and to remember the past only in the crevices of their minds' eyes. By trying to keep the trauma from infecting those around them, they only perpetuate it. Mirdza sheds light onto the survivors' mental tricks to keep themselves "in the moment" and alive.
The biographer does a great job in keeping Mirdza true to her Baltic spirit-- indeed in her words I hear my grandmother, parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. This book is wonderfully written, and was personally a heart-wrenching and elucidating read.
This story could have been told by any number of my close family, if they had ever decided to confront the trauma and sorrowful story of of the war and the Baltic plight. Instead, they prefer to live in the moment of today and to remember the past only in the crevices of their minds' eyes. By trying to keep the trauma from infecting those around them, they only perpetuate it. Mirdza sheds light onto the survivors' mental tricks to keep themselves "in the moment" and alive.
The biographer does a great job in keeping Mirdza true to her Baltic spirit-- indeed in her words I hear my grandmother, parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. This book is wonderfully written, and was personally a heart-wrenching and elucidating read.
July 28, 2009
OK, so this is a book that has to be judged on two separate levels. First, the story that is told is amazing. A story of escape from WWII Latvia under the fear of both Russian and German rule. Mirdza describes her life as a displaced person who eventually ends up in America ... and all of the trials that she goes through to get there. Her description of life during the war is haunting and the people that she meets along the way are described as her angels. The story was particularly interesting to me because my grandfather also escaped Latvia during the war. While the stories of encampment, loss of family members, and traveling solo to a new country were very similar, it was incredibly powerful to hear Mirdza describe her FEELINGS through all of these events. When these events were recounted to me as a child and a young adult by my grandfather, it was as if they were historical facts, nothing more. Perhaps it is the difference between a male narrator and a female one, but this book provided a true insight into the inner emotions of a D.P. (displaced person).
On the other level, this book is not exactly a work of literary genius. There are cliches and the editing is bad. I mean, really bad. There are apostrophes where there shouldn't be apostrophes, and sometimes an extra or missing period here and there. So, yes, probably the editing of the literature itself is the reason I couldn't give this one 5 stars - though I believe the story was deserving of them.
On the other level, this book is not exactly a work of literary genius. There are cliches and the editing is bad. I mean, really bad. There are apostrophes where there shouldn't be apostrophes, and sometimes an extra or missing period here and there. So, yes, probably the editing of the literature itself is the reason I couldn't give this one 5 stars - though I believe the story was deserving of them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 22, 2016
I asked my father which boat he got on at the dock and then read him the names of the two vessels mentioned in this book. I asked him if he remembered the plane that strafed the crowd. He did, he was four at the time and wanted to know how I knew about this. I told him a girl named Mirdza (of The Rings of My Tree) fell and was crushed by people rushing to escape the plane. She hurt her leg and limped on to one boat, and he walked on to the other. I left him a copy of the book, later he came to speak at our library about his experience.
Of the many Latvian crossing over books I have read, this is the one I share with others. Maybe it is because this is a story from two worlds: Latvia and America. I am half Latvian, half Irish/American and enjoyed the blend of both in this work. Instead of a tragic, sad account of a war refugee, Cunningham spreads the story out like a well-planned mean with flavor in detail and an ever hopeful outlook as you wander with Mirdza through one challenge and on to the next. I wish Jane Cunningham would tell more stories.
Film people – make a movie of Mirdza's journey, it has everything you need. Tell it like Jane Cunningham did and you will inspire us.
I recommend this book to my fellow first generation Americans and to all students learning about WWII.
Of the many Latvian crossing over books I have read, this is the one I share with others. Maybe it is because this is a story from two worlds: Latvia and America. I am half Latvian, half Irish/American and enjoyed the blend of both in this work. Instead of a tragic, sad account of a war refugee, Cunningham spreads the story out like a well-planned mean with flavor in detail and an ever hopeful outlook as you wander with Mirdza through one challenge and on to the next. I wish Jane Cunningham would tell more stories.
Film people – make a movie of Mirdza's journey, it has everything you need. Tell it like Jane Cunningham did and you will inspire us.
I recommend this book to my fellow first generation Americans and to all students learning about WWII.
July 13, 2016
Last year I read Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, which tells the story of Lithuania during WWII. The Rings of My Tree is Latvia's very similar tale, although with a much better outcome.
The Baltics were invaded by the Soviets, then the Germans, and by the end of the war, the Soviets again (and stayed, until the Soviet system collapsed), all in the space of about 6 years. The Soviets treated the people of the Baltics horrendously, so if they didn't want to be sent to Siberia, they had to flee their countries when the Nazis were defeated.
The Baltics were invaded by the Soviets, then the Germans, and by the end of the war, the Soviets again (and stayed, until the Soviet system collapsed), all in the space of about 6 years. The Soviets treated the people of the Baltics horrendously, so if they didn't want to be sent to Siberia, they had to flee their countries when the Nazis were defeated.
April 23, 2025
I learned so much about the struggles that the Latvian people went through during the Russian take over and how this woman survived during her time in Germany during World War ll and living one day at a time.
December 23, 2014
This story is so powerful. I just wish the writing were stronger. The story itself gets 5 stars. I now feel that I have a stronger understanding of the Latvian wartime experience. I really liked how the author was able to convey the difficult position of being a pawn between two powerful regimes and having to, quite literally, choose the lesser evil. I think people are very often confused by the Latvians "acceptance" of the Nazis compared with the Soviets. This book clearly explains the general Latvian sentiment at that time. Mirdza's story almost had me in tears several times. The amount of atrocities and losses she experienced is mind blowing. I can't even begin to imagine what that would be like. I tried so many times throughout the book to put myself in her shoes, and often I could not. And yet while her story is unique and interesting, I also knew that her story mirrors that of thousands of other Latvian DPs. It absolutely gives me more appreciation for what my grandmother and her family went through, in Latvia, Germany, and America. It's a pity this book will not be more widely read.
February 24, 2012
Like Jane E. Cunningham, I too have a beloved Latvian neighbor and was therefore familiar with this story before I read "The Rings of My Tree; A Latvian Woman's Journey". My much loved neighbor lived this story as a very young girl when her Latvian family escaped the Russians by fleeing to Nazi Germany. This story is identical to the stories of her two teenage sisters. Her family also lived in a displaced persons camp in Germany before finally settling in the US. Memories of the split pea soup endure to this day in her mind and mine. For most Americans, who have been raised that the Nazis were the primary evil oppressor, this story of the Russian invasion into eastern Europe is important to understand. These events are not just history, their effects live today; In February 2012, Latvia just had a national referendum in which they voted against accepting Russian as a second state language. Many of the press releases spoke of tolerance, but none I saw discussed what the Latvian people endured. Despite the oppressive and devastating events in this book, it is a story of strength, bravery and hope. I wish the Latvian people a long successful independence!
May 10, 2008
I read this book because my father and his family emigrated to Germany first as displaced persons from Latvia in WWII and then to the United States. Hard story to tell - especially since it was 2nd hand. Preachy, yes, but made me appreciate all that our democracy and government does AND doesn't do. Good perspectives for all of us - and it is a short read for those with lots of books in the in box.
February 13, 2014
Another step closer to understanding my family's journey from Latvia to the U.S. and also a great insight into what living in a DP camp for years looks like. Deep felt thank you to Mirdza for sharing her story. "War...what is it good for...absolutely nothing."
November 24, 2013
So far an incredibly interesting book. It's a refreshing perspective on WWII and the plight of war refugees.
April 19, 2012
Very moving and interesting memoir. I didn't know much of Latvia's history before this book so I got to learn as well as be entertained. I enjoyed the main character who is very strong.
April 26, 2013
A very moving book filled with so much that was both shocking and gripping. A story that had to be told.
Diane Eklund-Abolins, author of The Space in Between.
Diane Eklund-Abolins, author of The Space in Between.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews