Maria Anne Hirschmann

I have just re-read this book which is a moving account of a young Czech woman who ends up serving as a leader in the Nazi Youth movement in Germany. She speaks openly of her prior allegiance to Hitler and his ideals, basically having been groomed through various forms of propaganda along with many of the youth. Eventually she begins to realise that the Nazis are "evil" and those that oppose them are not. She flees her country and becomes a refugee. Later in life she becomes a Christian through a faithful minister who visits her home in all manner of weather conditions. She marries a man she was once in love with who also served as an officer under Hitler.

For some reason (she says God told her to) they move to America and things seem to go rapidly downhill. I found this part of the book hard to read as I believe Hansi made a mistake in going to America against the advice of her family and friends.

There is an additional chapter in this addition of the book which indicates that she and her husband divorced and she formed a ministry partnership with another lady. As they grew older they lived together and took part in many preaching engagements around the country and elsewhere but their efforts were marred by the suggestion that she had left her husband for another woman. I don't know the truth of these allegations but I was saddened that the marriage broke down in light of everything they had been through together. I also don't believe in women preaching so couldn't endorse the ministry that she and this other woman founded.

I enjoyed the first part of the book but feel the author got distracted from her role as a wife and mother (to 5 children) somewhere along the way ...and began pursuing her own agenda. She was always studying or teaching or involved in something keeping her very busy and forcing her husband to take more of a back seat.

I also found her charismatic leanings difficult in places as she uses "God told me to do this" for virtually everything...

Great story but not sure about the aftermath.





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