Ilse Hertzstell Lewis

Ilse's Berlin I Was There-1926 to 1945 Ilse Hertzstell Lewis

'Ilse's Berlin begins with the author's earliest memories of a comfortable childhood in the beautiful city of Berlin. Born in 1926, Ilse lived in her family's apartment building; and although her father died when she was two, Ilse, her mother, and sister enjoyed a happy and secure life until the political climate changed in the 1930's. When her mother's death orphaned Ilse at the age of fourteen, she and her sister were left to survive the worst years of the war with little food and constant fear. At the end of the war in 1945 and facing an uncertain future, the author was determined to escape the Russian occupation troops and her war-torn city and make her way to the American Zone (West Germany). Ilse takes the reader on this perilous journey, not only once, but twice. Although she encountered many hardships, Ilse pursued her adventure of crossing the border which rekindled a spirit of hope for a better life.