English Girl, German Boy: World War II From Both Sides

Tessa and Martin Borner
Hilary Borner (2005)
ISBN 0973892609
Reviewed by Lisa Kisner for Reader Views (5/06)

This book chronicles the young lives of two people who grew up on opposite sides of World War II. Tessa grew up in England, while Martin grew up in what was once East Germany. Their story, told from personal accounts and reconstructed with the help of letters written by their parents, brings that period of time to life.

Tessa tells of growing up with both parents, only to have her father ripped away, killed in the war. Her mother worked to support the family, sending Tessa and her sister to boarding school where it appears safer from bombings. Tessa’s mother’s letters to friends discussing rationing of food and clothing items gives readers, who have never experienced rationing coupons or shortages of necessities, a clear picture of daily life during those hard times.

Martin tells of his upbringing amid Nazi propaganda. He also tells of the horrors of the bombing of Dresden and how he survived and ultimately escaped out of East Germany. His recollections and letters from his parents after the war reveal how much the German citizens suffered in the economic hardship that followed.

This book gives an account not often told through the media. It chronicles childhood through young adulthood of two ordinary children on opposite sides of WWII. The book reminds the reader that most of the citizens of countries involved in the war were the not the power hungry, cruel politicians and soldiers depicted by the media. The authors wrote this book to give readers a different view of both sides of the war from the average civilian citizen’s experiences. They have accomplished this and more.

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