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This represents a crucial new addition to Holocaust history, illuminating the lesser-known story of Mischlinge—an offensive term utilized by the Nazis to designate individuals of mixed Jewish and Christian descent, who were subsequently condemned and persecuted as Jews. This moving and dramatic true narrative is conveyed through the viewpoints of two children, the author’s uncle Heinz and her mother Edie.

Heinz (Heini) and Edie Bernstein, a brother and sister, were only nine and five years old when Hitler rose to power. Although they were brought up as Christians in Berlin, they were soon classified as Mischlinge, a German term meaning mongrel—an epithet the Nazis used to legally categorize and belittle individuals. This label instilled terror in these innocent children, with the threat of death looming as they struggled for survival in Berlin. They experienced gradual exclusion from educational and employment opportunities, were interrogated at Gestapo headquarters, imprisoned, tortured, and forced into slave labor.

Sharon was unaware of their remarkable story until she discovered a memoir hidden in a box in her mother’s Norfolk home, untouched for three decades. It contained her uncle Heinz’s firsthand account of events during the Holocaust and World War II, a narrative her mother had never revealed. Edie explained that she had built her joyful life by concentrating on the future rather than the past, but the discovery prompted her to finally share with her daughter. Sharon then embarked on extensive archival research, uncovering that some family members were not as fortunate.

This narrative is both grand and deeply personal, detailing the experiences of an ordinary Berlin family as they navigate significant events of the twentieth century, reminiscent of a more tragic rendition of Forest Gump.

It includes moments from performing at the 1936 Berlin Olympics to the atrocities of Buchenwald and Auschwitz, escape attempts, the death marches, romance in post-war London, the establishment of Israel, and crossing Checkpoint Charlie to experience both sides of the Berlin Wall.

From demonstrating talent at the 1936 Berlin Olympics to facing the horrors of Buchenwald and Auschwitz, through attempts to escape, the death marches, and love in post-war London, the creation of Israel, and moving through Checkpoint Charlie to both sides of the Berlin Wall. This story is both engaging and surprisingly uplifting, filled with themes of resilience and hope, the bond between siblings, the everyday bravery of local individuals and families, as well as the unexpected kindness of strangers.