A Girl Named Eva: A Memoir

What was it like to be an innocent child in the 1930s in Berlin, Germany, and then, suddenly, have your tranquil existence snatched away and exchanged for the horrors of World War II and its aftermath? Experience it through the eyes of a girl named Eva. Laugh with her, fret with her, mourn with her. Meet her close-knit, fun-loving family and her friends. Discover how she and the people around her cope in the face of adversity and survive. Eva's story is like a kaleidoscope, in which the pretty, bright pieces of childhood joys and evacuation years are mixed with the ugly ones of air raids and the Russian invasion. Add to this m lange the very dark bits of the loss of her father and family home, as well as the nightmarish Berlin blockade with hunger and cold. Your mind may scream, "Dismal picture " It isn't so. Nothing suppresses Eva's spirit for very long. he is tough when necessary, cherishes every good moment, and loses neither her optimism nor her sense of humor. * Entertaining - upbeat - informative. Suitable reading for teens and adults.

Eva R. Priestley was born in Berlin, Germany, in 1932, into a tight-knit family of modest means. She survived the bombings and lived through the difficult aftermath of World War II. In 1954, she came to The United States of America. with her husband, and settled in New Jersey, where she raised two daughters. For mental stimulation, Eva took up writing and became a freelancer. Eventually, she was hired to teach the creative writing classes at area senior and community centers. Thanks to her editing, a number of her students became published authors. After receiving several awards from the Philadelphia Writers Conference, in the early days of her career, at least 70 of Eva’s short-shorts and a number of anecdotes got published in various magazines and newspapers.