About the Memoirs

The memoirs are about ordinary people in extraordinary times. Their lives are seen through the eyes of a child, and through the letters and documents left behind by her father.

Family Life and Early Memories

The author describes her family life in the Netherlands in the first half of the twentieth century. Her earliest childhood memories were idyllic.

Historical Events and Challenges

Then came mobilization, the Second World War, the dangers and deprivations, and the difficult post-war economic recovery period.

Journey to the United States

Faced with limited options for her future, she went to the United States to attend college. The memoirs end with her arrival in New York when she was eighteen.