Journey Between Two Worlds - by Karola M Schuette (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"He had to rub it in that now I was considered a stateless person and no longer had any rights. Wow, did he hate those war brides, those whores."

Journey Between Two Worlds is a compelling firsthand account of growing up in Germany during the poverty and despair of the Great Depression and the fear and oppression of Hitler's Nazi regime, surviving the ravages and rubble of World War II, and ultimately gaining freedom and a resurrected life in America.

Karola Schuette describes in lyrical detail how her destiny is transformed forever when she meets a German-born US Army intelligence officer. Forging a life of new horizons and experiences in the United States, Karola opens our eyes to the liberties and opportunities that we may assume to be our birthright, and subtly and insightfully conveys that a democracy requires constant cultivation to sustain it.

Review Quotes

"Journey Between Two Worlds is a moving chronicle of hardship, hope, and renewal. Karola Schuette recounts her remarkable experiences with vivid details, engaging humor, and, above all, unflagging courage."

-Christopher Porterfield, Retired Executive Editor, TIME Magazine

"The author invites us to be part of her kaleidoscope of life. She takes us by the hand, and we travel with her, witnessing the different patterns . . . of colors. A brilliant read."

-Hans W. Huebner, Producer, RTL Television

"The detailed and in-depth descriptions of events, surroundings, circumstances, and emotions in Karola's life make this story a real page-turner."

-Harriette Mishkin, The Village View Editorial Board, Penn's Village

"A delicate mosaic of daily-life detail . . . gives us humble insight into . . . world-historical events. . . . From these modest, private writings comes a masterful picture of the twentieth century. . . . An impressively moving read."

-Professor Marcia Pally, NYU, Humboldt University-Berlin, Author of From This Broken Hill I Sing to You: God, Sex, and Politics in the Work of Leonard Cohen

"Journey Between Two Worlds is a charming, evocative story illustrating the experiences faced by a brave, young German woman. . . . Karola's voice is loud and clear, and her passionate devotion to her husband, family, and new country is vividly illuminated."

-Cynde Bloom Lahey, Director of Library Information Services, Norwalk Public Library, CT

"During this dark period . . . between two world wars and the midst of the Great Depression . . . the author's understanding and compassion remain undimmed by the brutal hardships and losses she endures. . . . An inspiring memoir."

-Madeleine Scott, Professor Emerita of Dance, Ohio University

"Couched in plain, unvarnished language, laced with a charmingly wry humor . . . [this is] an engrossing memoir of life transitions, both physical and personally transformative . . . an evocative recording of a way of life long disappeared . . . [and] a labor of love and a moving tribute by editor and commentator, daughter Margaret Schuette, to her author mother."

-Magda Saleh, PhD, NYU School of Education; Founding Director of the New Cairo Opera House National Cultural Center; Order of Merit Recipient, President Gamal Abdel Nasser; Former Guest Artist with the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow and the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad