Thursday, January 03, 2013

I found this book at the Muenster Antique Mall, although I'm not sure that I'd consider anything from 1980 an antique. Of course there is the content - "The Ring" by Danielle Steel is a story about a family from Berlin, Germany, that is separated during WWII. I suppose other than the setting of the story, the book can also claim antique status because it was made into a movie in 1996. I watched a clip, and the movie apparently strayed slightly from the book. Just in that one scene, it is clear that the Ariana in the movie does not have the blue eyes over which the book makes such a big deal. Also, the movie implies that Gerhard was part of the escape of Max and that the two teens drove him to the border. AND Ariana also says that she danced with Von Tripp at a party, but that was also not true; she danced with a different German soldier. So I guess I'm glad I read the book instead. I'm also glad that my family got out of Germany and Europe before the wars. My little German town was settled at least 30 years before the first war, but I often wonder how folks outside this town felt about us during the '40s. Suspicious? I mean, we know how they locked up the Japanese in California. We sent a lot of boys over to fight and die in that war against a country where many of their fathers or grandfathers were born. Anyway, I've always wondered if there was much static in the air over our heritage at that time. The old folks never mentioned it. My grandpa was off in the Pacific in the Navy. Sometimes I wonder if Camp Howze wasn't placed 20 miles from here to keep an eye on us...naaaahhh....?

1 comment:

Janette said...

Who knows?!