Back to Bremen

One Girl's Journey to Freedom Through the War-Torn Ruins of the Third Reich

Edith Röpke, her seven siblings, and their mother have learned to be silent and live inconspicuously….

It is 1939. On the cusp of World War II, the city of Bremen holds its breath with quiet unease. For years, the Jews have been excluded from everyday life, persecuted at the hands of the Nazis. Now, all of Germany will suffer for their Führer’s mad ambitions. In his quest for an Aryan utopia, Adolf Hitler invades Poland and Britain declares war on Germany.

As Bremen’s ports and factories bear the brunt of payloads from RAF Wellington and Lancaster bombers, Edith‘s childhood is shaped by unrelenting Allied bombing raids, streets strewn with dead bodies, and the ever-present reminder to trust no one outside the family.

Seen through Edith’s eyes as a child and through her memories as an adult seventy years after the war’s end, Back to Bremen depicts her harrowing nine-week journey through war-torn Germany. It’s the story of the fear of a child and the sheer determination of a mother risking it all so she and her children can return home. Most of all, it’s a vivid reminder of how war creates countless victims, but hope can make heroes of the most common among us. (206 pages)

Published: March 23, 2017
Publisher: Otterford
Genres:

Historical

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About the Author

Cecelia Wilson

For more than a decade, Cecelia Wilson has been the Feature Writer for Searcy Living magazine. Over the years, she has penned articles introducing readers to governors, senators, Grammy Award-winning musicians, and individuals from all walks of life. In addition to writing articles, books, and youth plays, Cecelia is a singer, pastor’s wife, play director, and acts in community theaters, commercials, film, and television. Born and raised in Batesville, Cecelia graduated from Batesville High School and earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Cecelia lives in central Arkansas with her husband, Dennis, but manages to check in often with her grown son and daughter, Cody and Cheyenne.

Somebody Ought to be Crying

Part memoir, part mayhem, all heart.

Somebody Ought to Be Crying isn’t your typical memoir-it’s a rollicking ride through a life that’s equal parts outrageous, heartfelt, and utterly unique.

In more than 80 vignettes, award-winning author J.B. Hogan invites you to sit down, grab a drink (you’ll need it), and explore a personal history written with humor, heart, and just a touch of chaos. From laugh-out-loud misadventures to poignant moments of self-reflection, this memoir is proof that every life-yours included-is worth recording.

Think of it as the guidebook you never knew you needed for writing your own story. The author has spent years encouraging others to capture their histories because, as he’ll tell you, “Someone, someday, will want to know who you were, what you did, and how in the world you managed to pull it all off.” This is his version of that advice, turned inward-and upside down.

Serious when it needs to be, irreverent the rest of the time, Somebody Ought to Be Crying, is a celebration of the messy, unpredictable, and glorious business of living. Whether it’s Grandma So-and-So, Uncle What’s-His-Name, or just plain old you, everyone has a story worth telling.

So grab a chair, settle in, and get ready for a memoir that might just make you laugh, cry, or say, “Wait, what?”

Trini! Come!

Held captive by the Apache, a young girl discovers the courage to survive… and the strength to choose her own path.

In the rugged borderlands of northern Sonora and southern Arizona, twelve-year-old Trinidad Verdín’s life is forever changed when a brutal Apache raid claims her family and leaves her a captive of the legendary Geronimo. Taken by the Naiche-Geronimo band, Trinidad is thrust into a world of survival, resilience, and unexpected bonds.

Under the supervision of Geronimo and his wife, She-gha, Trinidad discovers a new sense of belonging. She forms a surprising friendship with Garditha, a ten-year-old Apache boy, as they teach each other their languages and skills. Together, they navigate the perils of life on the run-from scalp hunters to relentless soldiers-each day a fight to stay alive.

But when a surprise attack by Mexican vaqueros throws Trinidad into chaos, she faces an impossible decision. She can follow Geronimo and remain with the Apache who have become her family or risk everything by running toward the vaqueros who might mistake her for an enemy.

Award-winning author W. Michael Farmer masterfully blends riveting historical detail with unforgettable characters to bring to life the courage, resilience, and humanity of a young girl caught between two competing cultures. Trini! Come! is a powerful tale of survival, identity, and the strength it takes to find one’s place in an unforgiving world.

Red Sky Storm

All he wanted was to ride into the sunset. Fate had a different plan.

Lummy Tullos has witnessed the darkness of war and carried its weight on his soul. After years of bloodshed, he longs for peace and a quiet life with his family on the farm in Choctaw County. But the past refuses to release its grip, and the tranquility he craves remains always just out of reach.

As Lummy seeks solitude, hoping to escape the war-torn memories that haunt him, his old friend, Rainy Mills, is pulled into a new battle against a growing threat-the ruthless Tom Kimbrell. Seeking revenge for the death of his friend and fellow outlaw, John West, Kimbrell targets the family Rainy and Lummy have come to share, unleashing a relentless crusade of cruelty and destruction.

With Kimbrell’s campaign of vengeance escalating, Rainy is thrust into a fight he never sought. Leading a new generation into the fray, he embarks on a dangerous mission to stop Kimbrell-but with danger at every turn, sacrifices will be made and lives forever changed.

A tale of redemption, family, and unyielding courage, Lummy must confront his inner demons while Rainy battles threats from without, as both men discover that the path to peace is often forged through the most difficult choices.