A Woman In Berlin--Rebecca

I'm writing several weeks after finishing the book---shoulda written sooner! This is going to be pretty short due to waiting too long!

Wow. How did Anon have the foresight to keep a record of those 6 weeks? Especially since she said her only previous journal experience was as a young girl. I was amazed by the writing--she was honest and descriptive without being overly detailed. I think she included the right amount of detail--I'm sure there was so much she wanted to forget. It is suprising that there wasn't more anger or frustration in her tone, almost like she was reporting and leaving it to the reader to judge. 

Food. For the past 6 months one of my big goals has been to build up our family's food storage. Each time I read accounts of war, especially as it relates to the common citizen, I'm amazed at how little food people survive on. The quest for food is all encompassing. I hope to never have to experience this in my life! 

Men. War disrupts normal life. Would these men have behaved such had they not been subject to the rigors of life as a soldier? Does that excuse their behavior? I think not. But I needed to have some understanding so as not to glare at the male population in general.

Women. They suffered. They endured. They worked. They supported each other. They were courageous. They cleaned up and moved on. They survived. True they each found their own way of coping, but in short, I was inspired and wanted to be a better woman because of them.