Title: Anna’s Story: A True Story of a Young Girl’s Will to Survive in the Aftermath of World War II
Author: Steven G. Kautner
Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
ASIN: B0BCHCYRB7
Pages: 163
Genre: Biographies & Memoirs
Reviewed by: Alyssa Avina
Hollywood Book Reviews
When individuals think of the history of WWII, it is usually about what happened just before or during this war where many people tragically lost their lives. And while I do think it is incredibly important to delve into those stories all these years later — as there are so many told from different perspectives — I feel it is equally as important to tell the tales of those who suffered post-war. Their history is just as interesting, albeit just as heartbreaking and tragic at times, and deserves to be told with the same amount of attention to detail and respect as those told before them. That is precisely the approach that author Steven G. Kautner takes when writing this book, Anna’s Story: A True Story of a Young Girl’s Will to Survive in the Aftermath of World War II.
This story focuses on the story of Anna, an ethnic German young girl who was originally born in Serbia, which was a part of Yugoslavia at the time. After the war, ethnic Germans in Yugoslavia were forced to leave everything they knew and loved behind and those who didn’t suffered at the hands of those running the concentration camps. This true story was impeccably researched and doesn’t leave one detail out, even the details that were gut-wrenching to read. The young girl, Anna, perseveres through these trials and tribulations she is forced into without losing her resilience and her courageous nature, which is something any reader is bound to deeply admire about her and find beautifully inspiring.
The fact the author was able to tell the true story of his mother’s childhood during this turbulent time with incredible historical accuracy and still brings a personal touch to every word written is truly remarkable and makes this even more of an enjoyable yet heartbreaking read. The thing I loved most about this book was feeling as if I really got to know Anna and her young adventures, as well as the interpersonal relationships between her and her family, before the later events in the book inevitably changed their lives forever. It made it all the more heart wrenching to watch it all unfold but no matter what happened to Anna, her will to survive and keep going never wavered which was inspiring in itself.
For any lover of historical novels, this is the book for you. It provides an eye witness account of little-known events that occurred directly after World War II and it is something everyone should educate themselves on, in my opinion. I learned a lot while reading this extraordinary tale of survival and resilience and it is one I am not soon to forget. I appreciate the amount of research and attention to detail that the author put into his work and greatly encourage you to pick up your copy of “Anna’s Story: A True Story of a Young Girl’s Will to Survive in the Aftermath of World War II” by Steven G. Kautner to see for yourself what an eye-opening story this truly is.