Alfred's daughter, Doris Kienitz, conveys well the uncertainty and horror of everyday life under the dictatorship of Hitler whom her parents and grandparents despised.
"Of the four horses that the Kienitzes owned, Grete (pronounced Greata) had been "drafted" by the German army the previous fall. The remaining three horses were now seized by the Russian army: the mare Puppe (pronounced Poopa and meaning "doll"), her three-year-old, Lotte, and a ten-week-old foal. Against their will, the horses were taken away. Half an hour later, the Kienitzes heard a noise at the gate. Looking out they saw Lotte had returned. It was assumed that the soldiers, attempting to saddle her, were bucked off and the young horse ran back to her home. Moments later she was seized again and taken away."
Doris describes the loss of family members and neighbours to war, the seizure of properties and possessions for use by the army and the drafting against their will of young able-bodied youth to walk miles to labour in a ploughed field, building an airstrip for the invaders. This is a story of human will and determination to survive.
The author lives on the outskirts of Selkirk in Haldimand, Ontario. We are honoured to host an afternoon with Doris and her father, Alfred, in The Neat Little Bookshop on Saturday, October 27 from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. Join us for tea.
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