Though not often found in history books, the immediate aftermath of World War II left Germany confronting a crisis of epic proportions, with political disintegration, severe economic ruin, and profound social dislocation. While scholarly and popular literature addresses Germany's wartime experiences, fewer narratives examine the day-to-day conditions and psychological consequences endured by ordinary individuals in the postwar period. 'Trauterose,' an award-winning book by Elisabeth Haggblade, presents such an account through her first-person testimony, offering readers an unusually rare perspective on postwar Germany—one grounded in an experiential record of survival, adaptation, and loss.
Orphaned at birth during the height of World War II, Haggblade spent the first eleven years of her life in the household of a former S.S. officer and his family. The memoir, which has received notable recognition including the 2024 IndieReader Discovery Award (Memoir category) and First Place Non-Fiction in The Authors Show 2024 Book Cover Awards, provides a sustained window onto a pivotal historical moment. It illustrates how daily life was continually shaped by instability and deprivation, emphasizing the enduring roles of faith and communal support in sustaining resilience.
Haggblade writes about the influence of the late Pope Benedict XVI, then known as Herr Joseph Ratzinger, who taught catechism in her fourth-grade class in the 1950s. After he left, his hand-written letter admonished students: 'If one buttons one's coat the wrong way, one would have to undo all of it and start over again to make it right. So it is with life,' urging them 'to choose the right beginning.'
Haggblade stated, 'I wrote this book as a reaction to reports and pictures of that time that I saw: Glamorous portrayals in German magazines of the postwar years. More importantly, I wanted to respond to positive comments I kept hearing from Americans about their understanding of the postwar years. Both impressions were in contrast to my experience growing up and those I came in contact with. They told only one side of the story.' She added, 'On a personal level, I wanted to bring the reader into the picture: How life had to go on, war or no war. I let the rooms and the furniture be witnesses to our family's daily struggle.'
In a recent talk for the AAUW book club members in Santa Barbara, CA, she described some of the challenges: 'One had to make an effort to establish a routine... What was it like to get up in the morning, trying to find soap, comb, toothbrush, warm water–not a small task in those times. We had to find food and ways to cook it. One still had to go to school, without public or private transportation, in all seasons. Find a place to do homework. Find proper clothes and shoes to wear; gear for rain, clothes for winter; Find thread for mending clothes. And we had to deal with sickness and death in the family.'
'Trauterose' is a cautionary tale on the inherited guilt created by rampant nationalism and a painfully honest view through the eyes of a young woman who found her way to freedom and purpose. Craig Jones of IndieReader wrote, 'TRAUTEROSE (Growing Up in Postwar Munich) by Elisabeth Haggblade offers an uncompromising, moving, and elegiac memoir of a deprived childhood in postwar Germany.' Midwest Book Review noted, 'Libraries seeking powerful, personal memoirs that hold political and social lessons and insights will find Trauterose a study in adaptation, survival, and growth.' The book is available in print, ebook, and audiobook forms at Amazon, with more information at her website.
