Inge's War

Praise for Inge’s War:

“Books about World War II — and there are so, so many — tend to focus on the big names . . . Less common are books about the ordinary citizen whose life was laid waste by the war — and even less common, at least in this country, are books about the ordinary German citizen . . . Through O’Donnell’s meticulous reporting and sensitive, compelling storytelling [Inge’s War] becomes the gripping story of anyone navigating life in a war zone . . . a riveting and important story, one that focuses so tightly on Inge and her family in its level of detail — physical, temporal and emotional — that it becomes universal.” —(Minneapolis) Star-Tribune

“[The] wider-lens view of German suffering offers the book’s most compelling perspective . . . [Inge’s] life is an illustration of how women will shoulder in silence the burden of sadness bred by events beyond their control.” —The Telegraph (London)

“A wartime memoir that not only charts the survival of a family but bravely examines the inherited horrors of a conflict that scarred a nation . . . O’Donnell writes with an arresting clarity and a deep empathy for the women who are ordinarily forgotten from history; the women whose lives are destroyed by the trauma of war and silenced by the peace that comes in its aftermath.” —Irish Times

“Outstanding . . . An illuminating and highly personal family memoir . . . [O’Donnell is] an honest writer, who scrupulously avoids glamorizing or exculpating her family . . . Library shelves are packed with war stories of outstanding heroism or cruelty, but few tread the path of Inge’s War . . . O’Donnell paints a portrait of millions of unseen, unrecorded citizens.” —The Herald (Glasgow)

“Svenja O’Donnell has woven together a magnificent tale that grips the reader like a novel.” —Libération (Paris) 

“Vivid and meticulously researched . . . An incisive and multilayered account of family trauma, the dangers of nationalism and anti-Semitism, and the plight of refugees. This exceptional account transforms a private tragedy into a universal story of war and survival.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“The author, a graceful, eloquent writer, follows a trail that sometimes takes her through deeply troubling terrain, and she amply reveals the cruelty and compassion that characterize times of war. Haunting family stories that serve as a metaphor for human suffering everywhere.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) 

“Enlightening and timely . . . This compelling testimonial details the deprivations German citizens faced during the war and reveals a dark part of Danish history . . . [It] deserves a wide audience.” —Booklist (starred review)

“A story that reads like a novel filled with fascinating history and excellent detective work.” —BookPage

“Too often the most dramatic, fascinating human stories are lost to history because they are never documented. Thankfully, Svenja O’Donnell has rescued the extraordinary saga of her grandmother, a saga filled with love and betrayal and secrets, a saga that illuminates the nature of war and memory. Using her remarkable skills as a reporter and writer, O’Donnell has recorded this story so meticulously and beautifully that it will remain forever in our consciousness.” —David Grann, New York Times bestselling author of Killers of the Flower Moon and The Lost City of Z

“A lyrical, engrossing and essential read.” —Sathnam Sanghera, author of The Boy with the Topknot

“A superbly nuanced reclamation of history and family secrets.” —Brian Van Reet, author of Spoils