From Hitler's Germany to Today's Texas
The Mushroom Girl is Dagmar Grieder’s memoir of childhood in Germany at the end of the Second World War. Her father was conscripted and has not been heard from in months; her mother takes her and her younger brother west ahead of the advancing Russian Army. Food is scarce, so she learns the forests, and becomes expert at finding the best mushrooms.
A vivid and deeply personal tale of loss and belonging.
Dagmar Grieder’s memoir of life as a refugee in the aftermath of World War II sheds light on a seldom-discussed struggle during Europe’s long road to recovery.
In the aftermath of a devastating war, Dagmar Grieder and her family flee the advancing Russian Army. Her father, conscripted into the German military, has not been heard from in months. With her mother and her younger brother, the family learns to improvise every aspect of their existence. With supplies scarce, Grieder and her relatives forage for food in the local forests, with Grieder herself becoming an expert at finding the tastiest mushrooms — a special treat for a hungry family.
Grieder’s story is vivid and deeply personal, a tale of loss and belonging, that offers a new perspective on post-war refugees amid Europe’s rebuilding. Grieder is a natural storyteller, and her life story is truly a Cinderella tale: riches to rags to riches again. Grieder has a keen eye to see meaning, beauty, and humor in
daily life. Originally intended for her children and family, these recollections of growing up in post-war Germany will appeal to a wide audience.
Now in her ninth decade, Grieder has witnessed profound changes in the country of her birth and its transformation from a nation of sheep, led astray by a charismatic madman, to one of the strongest democracies in the world.
Category: Memoir, Women, Nonfiction
Publication Date: April 16, 2024
Publication Date: April 16, 2024
ISBN (Paperback): 979-89879002-9-1
ISBN (Ebook): 979-8-9879002-3-9
List Price: $16.95
Pages: 128
Trim size: 5.5 x 8.5
John R. Clarke, author of Art in the Lives of Ordinary Romans“The Mushroom Girl is a touching memoir of a little girl’s life as refugee during and after World War II. Through her eyes we relive hardships, curiosity, and wonder as her family finds ways to survive. There is sweetness and compassion, triumph and resignation in Grieder’s voice as she describes landscapes of scarcity and precarity. Her honesty and courage in facing obstacles of every sort endear us to Dagmar, both the child and the adult, as she captivates us with her storytelling."
The Mushroom Girl recounts Dagmar Grieder’s childhood as a refugee inside Germany in the last months of the war and the years after it — improvising food, shelter, and schooling with her mother and brother while waiting for news of a conscripted father. Written first for her own children, it is an account of the war’s civilian aftermath from someone who was small in it.
Yes. It is Dagmar Grieder’s own memoir of growing up in Germany during and after the Second World War, written initially for her children and grandchildren.
The final months of the war and the years of rebuilding that followed, seen from inside a family displaced by the advance of the Russian Army.
John R. Clarke, author of Art in the Lives of Ordinary Romans“The Mushroom Girl is a touching memoir of a little girl’s life as refugee during and after World War II. Through her eyes we relive hardships, curiosity, and wonder as her family finds ways to survive. There is sweetness and compassion, triumph and resignation in Grieder’s voice as she describes landscapes of scarcity and precarity. Her honesty and courage in facing obstacles of every sort endear us to Dagmar, both the child and the adult, as she captivates us with her storytelling."
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