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Abandoned and Forgotten: An Orphan Girl's Tale of Survival During World War II
Much has been written about World War II, but not often do we hear about the immeasurable suffering of the Germans who wanted no part of Hitler's regime. Abandoned and Forgotten is the memoir of a young girl growing up in the then-German province of East Prussia by the Baltic Sea. Orphaned at the age of nine and left to fend for herself in a hostile world, Evelyne Tannehill witnessed firsthand what happens when law and order break down and self-preservation becomes the only thing that matters. Her journey is a poignant example of how resilient the human spirit can be, even in the face of war's greatest horrors.
440 pages, Paperback
First published January 15, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
May 17, 2011
This is a great story. I had not believed that the children in wartime were treated so terribly. IT is a wonder that any of them survived. I wished all today's children could read it to know how really good they have it! Thank you for this stirring account of your life. It answers alot of questions I had.
September 9, 2008
A great view of WWII from the German point of view. Horrifying.
June 25, 2021
I’ve often wondered what it was like for the civilians of Germany during WWII, especially for the children. This account was extremely personal and traumatic. This story gave some insight into how the prejudices play out based on politics and war. It’s absolutely devastating that a child would have these experiences.
May 23, 2010
If you want an eye opening account of what it was like to live in German East Prussia during WW II and the Russian over running of the area and then the Poles moving in, this is the account to read.
This is an autobiography of a girl who is 9 at the end of the war and what she experienced first with her immediate family, then as an orphan moving among Polish families until being reunited with aunts in Germany three years later. It is a very moving account.
This is an autobiography of a girl who is 9 at the end of the war and what she experienced first with her immediate family, then as an orphan moving among Polish families until being reunited with aunts in Germany three years later. It is a very moving account.
November 4, 2012
This is a very good book about Prussia during World War II. I liked the way she wrote and I was glad to learn so much about an area I didn't know about.
August 28, 2012
Harsh and graphic story...that said...I couldn't put it down. Story of a family in Prussia in the early 1940s and all the upheaval and tragedy caused by war and Hitler's influence. it described how most people wanted to idolize and follow him...right up until it got ugly....told from the girl's point of view over many years...very interesting read!
October 9, 2012
Still another view point of the horrors of Hitler's atrocities. I had no idea of the unique suffering those of eastern Prussia endured. A story of relentless suffering and man's depravity. Not a happy read, but a "good to know" read...
April 29, 2020
This book was heartbreaking to read. Humanity crumbled and left the innocent to fend for themselves. Evelyne experienced a real life hell on Earth, but always chose to move forward. I'm grateful to know Evelyne and her wonderful family, and I hope she finds peace.
March 29, 2018
The monologue at her mother’s grave is a summary of life and a farewell bid to the past, very touching.
January 18, 2021
With all the atrocities committed by Hitler and the Nazis it is easy to overlook the innocent Germans who lost their lives and property. This memoir details Eva Rapp's childhood growing up carefree on a farm in East Prussia. When Hitler came into power, her father was often outspoken against the Nazi regime and was arrested by the Gestapo and imprisoned for his dissidence. As WW2 came to a close, East Prussia was the first German area to feel the brunt of the Russians' revenge. They not only took food from Eva and her neighbors, but they took their dignity by committing multiple sexual assaults on the women (of course, not all Russian soldiers are guilty of these acts). Forced to flee from their ancestral home, Eva and her brother go with their parents to a neighboring village while her older siblings are sent farther west to escape. Life becomes a daily struggle to survive unprovoked assaults and fend off starvation and malnutrition. Ultimately, the Russians return home with their spoils of war (tangible items and prisoners) and Eva can return to her farm with her mother. But the results of being on the losing side simply because of their nationality become quickly apparent as Eva's neighborhood is given away to Poles looking to relocate. For the most part, Eva is treated slightly better than the farm animals until she befriends some compassionate Polish people who are willing to help Eva survive. Eva is able to reunite with her aunts as Germany struggles to rebuild, but they make the best of the situation. Under their guardianship, Eva is able to get caught up in school and develops a love of reading.
I understand intellectually why in the grand scheme of WW2 memoirs this book has not received much readership because of the nationality of the author. There were times when I was skeptical of the authenticity of the story simply because Ms. Tannehill has an incredibly ability to relate names, places, and facts with detail from 60 years prior to this book's publication. I have a hard enough time remembering what happened yesterday, let alone a handful of specific events from my childhood. However, I will give her the benefit of the doubt since I don't have anything to suggest she made it up. I think this book is important from an historical perspective to remind us that we can't conclude every German was a Nazi supporter and that in the end there were innocent victims on both sides.
I understand intellectually why in the grand scheme of WW2 memoirs this book has not received much readership because of the nationality of the author. There were times when I was skeptical of the authenticity of the story simply because Ms. Tannehill has an incredibly ability to relate names, places, and facts with detail from 60 years prior to this book's publication. I have a hard enough time remembering what happened yesterday, let alone a handful of specific events from my childhood. However, I will give her the benefit of the doubt since I don't have anything to suggest she made it up. I think this book is important from an historical perspective to remind us that we can't conclude every German was a Nazi supporter and that in the end there were innocent victims on both sides.
November 15, 2024
This book was not an easy read. I learned a lot about WW 2 that I had not thought about or remembering learning in school.
I learn also that just because it wasn’t something taught in school doesn’t mean it couldn’t have happened. It saddens me that after everything Eva went through that people didn’t believe her.
This book is important because if we don’t know history we are doomed to repeat it.
I learn also that just because it wasn’t something taught in school doesn’t mean it couldn’t have happened. It saddens me that after everything Eva went through that people didn’t believe her.
This book is important because if we don’t know history we are doomed to repeat it.
February 22, 2020
The most important book of my life ❤
June 14, 2022
Having met this author on a tour this past spring, I was looking forward to her life experience! WOW
January 10, 2009
Amazing story beginning with middle class German parents of five children sucked into the horrors of the Hitler war machine, leaving behind (because of their death) a nine year old daughter to face the brutal world alone who survives.
August 15, 2009
A fascinating story of a young girl who comes of age during WWII in Prussia. It also tells of how everyone forgot about Prussia. When the Russians invaded Prussia during the end of WWII, they killed almost all of the Prussians and kicked them out of their own county.
January 21, 2012
Such a wonderful story teller, Evelyn tells of her experience during WWII in Germany from a perspective not often heard. Well worth the read if you enjoy history.
March 18, 2015
This was a very moving book. It opened my eyes to some aspects of WWII in Germany that I've never thought of before.
December 12, 2012
This took me a while to get through but it's an absolutely amazing account that you normally don't get!
December 13, 2012
The author tells her story of surviving the atrocities as a german citizen falling to the invasion of the Russians at the end of WWII. Intense suffering.
March 1, 2013
Riveting. Couldn't put it down. Another tale of horror and woe courtesy of the III Reich!!
September 6, 2013
Unputdownable, especially once the invasion began.
February 13, 2014
Amazing
well written and heartfelt. profound. An entirely different view of how the war affected Germans. I will never forget this story.
well written and heartfelt. profound. An entirely different view of how the war affected Germans. I will never forget this story.
June 28, 2015
Really enjoyed a perspective I have never read about before.
April 14, 2016
Her prose is beautiful even alongside the horrors of the time. This book is set in the part of Germany that is now Poland.
June 10, 2019
my second reading - reaffirms my 5-stars.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews