“Ye
arman’s remembrance…is poignant, filled with vivid details but unembellished by maudlin sentiment. She allows the genuine power of her autobiographical drama to speak for itself. “
So states a recent Kirkus Review posting about “Don’t Say Anything to Anybody” (DSATA), the memoir of the child of a Nazi soldier, coauthored by Anika Hanisch.
DSATA is an intimate portrait of childhood within the Nazi regime and how that regime often abused its own children. The story portrays subtle and not-so-subtle connections between family violence and cultural acceptance of atrocities. While the over-arching themes are hard, the story is fast-paced and contains surprising moments of compassion and humanity. Many kind-hearted souls along the protagonist’s journey make it possible for young Brigitte to eventually break free from her family system, meet a Jewish Holocaust survivor, and learn the truth about the war.
The Kirkus review coverage is well-earned high praise.
Don’t Say Anything to Anybody, by Brigitte Z. Yearman with Anika Hanisch, was published by Third Path Press in 2017. It is available through Amazon and wherever fine books are sold.