Vati’s Girl: The Life of Gerda Collin
A True Story of War, Defiance, Faith, and Freedom
by
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We spent hour upon hour in the bomb shelters. It seemed to last forever. Then one day, it happened. The bombs stopped. The sirens stopped. The Beaches of Normandy had been stormed on June 6,1944. The Battle of the Bulge occurred on December 16,1944. Hitler’s stronghold on Europe came to an end. Hitler committed suicide, the Germans in the West surrendered on May 7 and in the East, May 9,1945. I didn’t know. Of course, as a young girl, I knew none of this. Up to that point, I only knew the bomb shelter, Omi’s knitting lessons, and that awful rhubarb. It was June 1945. Mother allowed me to run in the front yard for the very first time. I even played in the street. Those events gave me that one carefree summer. Well, it was actually only nine weeks, but it was tremendous. Halle, our city, was totally different. We wandered outside and played. It was glorious. We never wore our gas masks again. I tore off those stupid dog tags. I stopped listening for the fore-alarm. I hated that siren. What I remembered best about those nine weeks, the Americans. They arrived first.
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About the Book
1940s Germany: Little Gerda Collin was fully aware that fear, not freedom ruled her country. Bomb shelters, gas masks, dog tags, and sirens were all she knew. Her father, who she called Vati, was drafted before Gerda was born. Gerda’s mother had no idea if he was alive or dead. The war ended. Gerda and her family believed everything had changed for the better. Hitler was dead. The bombs stopped. The Potsdam Agreement was signed. The Americans arrived with a glimpse of freedom. Suddenly, the Americans were gone, and the Soviets marched the streets. In a fascinating memoir, Gerda (1940-2022) chronicles her incredible life story as she leads others through the experiences of her youth. She survived the atrocities of the war, only to experience the terror of Communist rule. Neighbors were shot and people disappeared. Gerda offers a compelling peek into their next battle. Follow Gerda and her family as they overcome unimaginable odds to escape Communist rule. Vati’s Girl: The Life of Gerda Collin is the true story of Gerda Collin’s childhood and journey of youth through the atrocities of war, Communist rule, and an escape that led to the greatest of Christmas gifts…FREEDOM.
About the Author
Elizabeth Harper resides in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with her husband, Lew, a retired US Air Force lieutenant colonel. Their daughter Hannah and son-in-law Kevin live in Wyoming, and their son JB attends Samford University in Alabama. Elizabeth worked with troubled and adjudicated students and spent over twenty-five years in education before starting her career writing nonfiction stories for young adults. Today she writes about ordinary people who became extraordinary Americans. She speaks to schools, community gatherings, and other groups about the fascinating Americans highlighted in her young adult books. Elizabeth is most noted for sharing the story of Franklin J. Macon, a documented original Tuskegee airman, Civil Air Patrol Congressional Gold Medal recipient, and dyslexic. Elizabeth is the author of I Wanted to Be a Pilot: The Making of a Tuskegee Airman, the story of dyslexic Franklin J. Macon. She is also the author of WestBow Press’s Come in This House: The Life of Granny Lucille. A story of hospitality and heritage for generations to come. To make a speaker request or hire Elizabeth as your personal memoir writing coach, go to LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-harper-reads). DM for speaker requests or memoir writing help.