Reader Information Foreword xPreface Dutch Song The View from the Window How It All Began Family Life The Youngest Daughter The Insignificant One What Happened in Germany The Last Sinterklaas The Occupation Begins Life in the Mausoleum Survival Tactics The Hunger Winter Not of Strategic Importance Life's Not Fair Continuing Challenges Hemalie Hopes, Dreams and Fears Figuring It Out Haunted by the Past Growing Up Walking into My Future Epilogue: My Big Decision Photos About the Authors Acknowledgments Glossary Appendix Amsterdam Publishers Holocaust LibraryThe true story of an indomitable half-German girl who survived the Nazi Occupation in The Netherlands.A human story of resilience in the face of evil; a memoir to be cherished. - Dr. Hemchand Gossai, Professor of Humanities and Social SciencesAs the daughter of a Dutch postman and his German wife, five-year-old Meta finds her life totally changed when WWII begins. Meta's anxiety is exacerbated by der Stiefel, a Nazi soldier who haunts her. Life continues downhill until starvation renders the formerly vivacious child so weak that she doesn't care if she dies. After the war ends, poverty, prejudice, and PTSD continue to dog her every step, and Meta finds herself unable to pursue her dream of becoming a physician. Should she give in to despair, just put on a brave face, or accept reality and work towards those goals that are still possible?A human story of resilience in the face of evil; a memoir to be cherished. - Dr. Hemchand Gossai, Professor of Humanities and Social SciencesAs the daughter of a Dutch postman and his German wife, five-year-old Meta finds her life totally changed when WWII begins. Meta's anxiety is exacerbated by der Stiefel, a Nazi soldier who haunts her. Life continues downhill until starvation renders the formerly vivacious child so weak that she doesn't care if she dies. After the war ends, poverty, prejudice, and PTSD continue to dog her every step, and Meta finds herself unable to pursue her dream of becoming a physician. Should she give in to despair, just put on a brave face, or accept reality and work towards those goals that are still possible?