This is the personal memoir of Wolfgang Samuel, a German boy who was living and experiencing World War II. At the end of the war, many German civilians fled their towns when the Russian front began approaching. Wolfgang tells about his flight with his Mother and sister and the friends that helped them along the way. His father was serving in the Luftwaffe as a Captain, so it was just part of his family. His paternal grandparents were in the West, but his mother chose to go East to her parents. His maternal grandmother wound up joining them in their flight after some other things happened to their family.

This book was really very interesting, and I was never bored reading it. It took me a while to finish because this was my car book, but it was extremely dramatic and engaging. I think people often refuse to separate German people from Nazi actions, and I know there is a fine line on some people...however, this child was certainly innocent of the wrongs committed by the German war machine. Children in Nazi Germany were subjected to Nazi teaching in their schools, and a lot of them had parents who were ardent believers in Nazi ideals. Children are not born hating, they are taught to hate. This particular boy noticed a lot of things and asked a lot of questions that could have gotten him in terrible trouble if his members of his family had been different. Children in wartime are absolutely victims. They are victims of their parents' choices and the choices of their governments. They experienced hunger, fear, death, rape, etc. They saw what their female members had to do to bring home food or find a place to sleep at night. War is a terrible thing for anyone, but children are so affected by big things that they have never experienced and have a hard time grasping. I am so pleased to see that at least this kid made it through the war and became a decent human being. I highly recommend this book for people interested in the German civilian war experience.