Work by award-winning journalist O’Donnell provides details of World War II and the lives of a German family who were neither persecuted nor active members of the Nazi Party. O’Donnell asks (and answers) questions such as: What was life like for her grandmother as a single mother? Why did she not reunite with her love after the war? What about the Germany in the years following? At turns touching and surprising, O’Donnell’s work offers an honest look at how strength, weakness, and resiliency can shape who you are and who you become. Consulting both primary and secondary resources to support her narrative, O’Donnell conveys an understanding of the day-to-day challenges facing young women in the late stages of the Third Reich. VERDICT A welcome addition to World War II memoirs.