FAITH-BASED EDITION

One Woman’s Remarkable Escape from Nazi Germany 

The peaceful farm life of a teenage girl in Germany is abruptly upended when WWII comes knocking at her family’s door. One month before her sixteenth birthday, Mildred “Mickchen” Schindler and her family are captured by Russian Soldiers. Having already survived life in Hitler’s Nazi Germany, they now face the terror of a new enemy—Stalin’s Red Army.

Driven from their home, Mildred and her family become refugees along with a sad, slow-moving caravan of other families who have suffered the same fate. Cleverly disguised by her mother, Mildred avoids being taken to a work camp until one morning when authorities arrive unexpectedly. Her father has already been taken by Russian soldiers, and now she is taken from her mother and brother.

Mildred recounts, in meticulous detail, her treacherous journey and the roller coaster of raw emotions she experiences —fear, regret, loneliness, humility, perseverance, and defiance.  Mildred’s odyssey of making her way home and finding her family in a war-torn countryside takes many riveting twists and turns. The discovery of a secret, hidden document offers hope for a brighter future.

From harrowing to heartwarming, this memoir provides a unique perspective of a Gentile girl’s road to resilience and her fortitude against all odds to forge a life filled with love and laughter.

Surviving Hitler, Evading Stalin is a remarkable testimony to the strength of the unconquerable human spirit and an endearing account of God’s faithfulness in the midst of faithless circumstances.

Surviving Hitler, Evading Stalin is a 2020 SUNNY Award winner!

This Faith-Based Edition of Surviving Hitler, Evading Stalin contains bonus materials expressly designed for use in small group Bible studies, Sunday School classes, and Christian educational settings. 

• Twelve Themes Bible Study – this study is an adaptation of a twelve-month blog series written by Sherye Green that leads readers through a thoughtfully crafted search of God’s Word as they explore twelve critical themes in Mildred’s story. 

• “Sunshine is Near”: The Prayers of Mutti Schindler – this collection of prayers, discovered among the possessions of Mildred’s mother, Mutti, after her death, will encourage and strengthen readers on their walk of faith. 

• Classroom Discussion Guide – questions that allow teachers to guide students in a thoughtful discussion of Mildred’s story, enabling them to draw parallels to their lives in this twenty-first century. 

•  “Passage to My Homeland” Lesson Plan – a six-part exploration of how a “very important document” allowed Mildred to return to the land of her birth, a study of the rights and privileges of citizenship, and an explanation of threats to a nation’s citizenry. 

• Reflection Questions – these are designed to lead students in a more insightful analysis of this World War II survivor account.  

•  Author Q & A – Mildred Schindler Janzen and co-author Sherye Green reminisce about the power of this war survivor's saga and the process of how they wrote the story.

by Mildred Schindler Janzen & Sherye S. Green
Page Count: 352
Trim Size: 6 x 9
Publish Date: January 3, 2023
Imprint: Scriptoria Press
Genre: History

BIOGRAPHY AND AUTOBIOGRAPHY/Personal Memoirs
RELIGION/Christian Living/Personal Memoirs
HISTORY/Military/World War II