Friday, April 24, 2015

Sigrid MacRae: Uncovering Family History


Everyone's Story welcomes author Sigrid MacRae. I was first introduced to Sigrid and her work when I read a book review of her then just released non-fiction telling of her family life, A WORLD ELSEWHERE. I had to read tho book! Sigrid's account of the Baltic-German father she never knew, of the strong American mother who saved her children from great turmoil and hardships during and post World War II, struck the very themes I enjoy reading and writing about. I contacted Sigrid and was thrilled when she accepted my invitation to appear on my blog. Sigrid offers valuable insights to a time that no one should ever push aside and forget. Do check out her Giveaway offer, her intriguing book excerpt, and please welcome her warmly. Both Sigrid and I look forward to hearing from you.


BookGiveaway:
Sigrid is offering 1 copy of her non-fiction A WORLD ELSEWHERE to 1 randomly chosen commenter. The winner will be announced here on Friday, May 1st between 5-6 PM EST. To be entered in the Giveaway, please leave your contact information within your comment


Excerpt from A WORLD ELSEWHERE:



Prologue from A WORLD ELSEWHERE by Sigrid MacRae

The box was beautiful. My mother had bought it in Morocco many years ago, and as a child, I admired it in secret, stroking the tiny pieces of motherofpearl inlay on the surface, its patterns conjuring far away places. Its ivory keyhole held a key with a striped ribbon attached. Turning the key always produced a soft pling-plong, but never opened the box. After many decades, my eightyfiveyearold mother was tired of Maine winters and was moving to Arizona. Parceling out her possessions and the memories they held to her five surviving children, she now held the box out to me, saying simply, “Your father’s letters.”

I had always suspected that the box held them. Exotic and mysteri ous, it was the perfect receptacle for the treasured relics of a husband long dead and a father I had never known. It contained a chapter of my mother’s life that she had closed long since, one I was reluctant to re open. The moment was freighted with feeling; her expression suggested things that I was afraid I could respond to only with tears. Neither of us felt comfortable in such emotional territory, and we cut it short. I stowed the box tenderly in the car along with the other pieces of her life she had designated for me: a miscellany of books, pictures, rugs, silver. As the car pulled away, she stood, small and contained, the enormous firs by the garage dwarfing her as she waved goodbye. Behind her, morning sunlight skittered across the bay.

At home the box sat—still beautiful, but still steadfastly, stubbornly locked—keeping its secrets. Though my mother had given it to me, I felt that breaking this family reliquary open by force was wrong. Besides, I was reluctant to discover what the box held. Inside was the person who had changed the shape of my mother’s life, whom my older brothers and sisters loved and remembered, a real person to everyone in the family except me, the youngest… (who never knew him)… 

My mother died about ten years after she gave me the box of letters, and not long after, turning the key opened it. Inexplicable, I thought, magical, until my husband confessed that he had tinkered with the lock. After all these years, my father revealed himself quickly...The voice of my mother’s young lover, so long silent, emerged from his letters like a genie out of a bottle. From the pages of one letter slipped silken, nearly transparent poppy petals of the palest salmon pink—the tender gesture of a longago love. So this was the person who had lurked inside the box all those years...

Questions for Sigrid MacRae:

A WORLD ELSEWHERE is as much your story as it is a story about your mother, Aimée, a strong and resilient woman. Is there a central message that you would like to encourage other women with using your mother’s life story as an example?

People are often capable of far more than they imagine. Why and how my mother, a weak and affection-starved child, grew into an indomitable force is not easily explained, but when the need arose, she demonstrated enough courage for an army. Though she may have flinched privately, she was an example to her children, an inspiration to many.

The lesson: Don’t underestimate yourself, and never give up

Born of an American mother and a Baltic-German father (killed on Hitler’s Russian front before you were born) you were born in Germany and came to live in the United States at the age of 6. Through a child’s eyes did you experience any kind of prejudice and resistance once you left Germany? How did this shape you as an adult?

In first grade in Hartford, CT, a boy named Skippy yelled “Nazi” at me. As a fresh off-the-boat displaced person, just turned six, I had no more idea what a Nazi was than I knew that the jar in which Skippy brought his dessert with a big red Skippy on the lid was a peanut butter jar. But I knew it wasn’t good. This was post-war America; it was only the first of many incidents. I held my father responsible for that taunt and others that followed me through childhood and beyond, making me feel alien and “in this world but not of it ” - a double-edged sword that is hard for a child to deal with. Sometimes it still is, but time, maturity, and writing the book taught me to overcome such knee-jerk prejudices. Now I appreciate the other edge of that sword, and see that it is an advantage that enlarges my perspective.


Your mother’s story unfolded years after she gave you a box of letters written by the father you never knew. Did you open the box right away? Why or why not? What emotion did this release in you?

The box was locked. It was a beautiful family reliquary of sorts, and I could not bring myself to force it open. I was also reluctant to find the man who lurked inside. He was half of my mother’s love story, yet in some way I also held him responsible for her countless difficulties, and for my being called a Nazi for years. After my mother’s death, my husband tinkered with the lock. The little pling-plong opened to door on someone so young, so vivid, thoughtful, and funny, that it was hard not to fall in love with him too.

Upon learning of your family’s history, the one your mother and you had chosen not to rehash, did you learn of any particular pleasantry you would like to share?

I am not sure what you mean by “pleasantry”; will these do?

“Life is a verb, everyone has a story,” she used to say.

Another favorite dictum: “Life is full of surprises, ready or not…”

What did you hope to accomplish in publishing your personal family story?

First: I wanted to find some answers for myself.

Second: To show that history is not necessarily what is found in textbooks, but rather many thousands of individual histories and motivations, and that my father and many others did not fall under the blanket ”Nazi” rubric so routinely and carelessly applied to anyone caught up in Hitler’s war.

I’m a firm believer that history (the tragedies) tends to repeat itself if not shared and that is one of the reasons why I admire A WORLD ELSEWHERE. However, some stories are not easy to pass down. Did you experience any trepidation in publishing this very personal account?

Yes, of course. I felt like an intruder while reading my father’s early letters, and my mother’s too. But it was important to share what I learned from those extensive letters. Shaped by a civilization that disappeared like Brigadoon in the Bolshevik mists when he was a boy, my father was part of Hitler’s war on Russia, trying to recapture what was lost, and to free the Russian people from a dreaded Stalin.

It must have looked like the closest vehicle that might bring what Hitler’s regime had prevented him from accomplishing in Germany.

I suspect that he knew it would kill him, but that his death might accomplish what he had not accomplished in life.

Another point: The huge, ongoing sensitivity to the “Nazi” issue meant that historical accuracy and scrupulous honesty were crucial. Yes, my father had joined the party, but understanding when, why and how - and that he was also thrown out of the party and into jail for religious principles not long after, is critical too.

Any parting messages?

There are few open and shut cases in history. I hope that the book will strike a blow against ideology – a form of blindness and a common excuse for evil. There’s no room for ideology in our shrinking world; it deserves no patience.

People are often capable of far more than they imagine. Why and how my mother, a weak and affection-starved child, grew into an indomitable force is not easily explained. She had imagined a bright future that turned fairly quickly into a story of ongoing disasters. While she may have flinched privately, she was equal to terrifying circumstances when the need arose, a lifesaver to her children, an inspiration to many.

Sigrid's Ah-hahs To Tweet:
Everyone’s Story: Meet Sigrid MacRae, author of true family life story in Nazi Germany #BookGiveaway (Tweet This)

Author Sigrid MacRae: What happens when a mom passes down an unexpected family legacy? (Tweet This)

Like family biographies showing strong women in face of WWII? Visit Sigrid MacRae #BookGiveaway (Tweet This)

Author's Bio:
Sigrid MacRae is the coauthor of Alliance of Enemies, about the undercover collaboration of the German resistance to Hitler and the American OSS during WWII. She holds a graduate degree in Art History from Columbia University, spent many years in publishing, and lives in New York City and Maine. 

Places to connect with Sigrid:
Website
Goodreads
Facebook

      

32 comments:

  1. What a life that would have been! I'm glad there are author's writing about this.
    thanks for your work...
    dkstevensneAToutlookD OtCoM

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    1. Deanna, thanks for visiting this evening. I'm glad you see the importance of Sigrid's words. Awful things happen in this world when people in present times sweep away the past and stop learning. As for family, it's so important to share with members as well. My own family was so hush hush.

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    2. One of so many amazing stories out there, waiting to be told. Thanks, Deanna. The work was well worth it!

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  2. What an incredible story. My dad was a WWII vet so I am very much drawn to stories from that era. I would love to win the copy of her book. abilene_nana(at)yahoo(dot)com.

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    1. Ann, I'm so glad for you visit. As always, as I'm sure you know.

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    2. Your Dad surely has stories too; there are stories in every generation. I hope you win the book and like it. Let me know...

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  3. I'm so pleased you have written this story of your family's history & life. I am encouraging my mother to write about our family. These stories & truths should not be lost.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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    1. Well said, Mary. Nice to see you, again.

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    2. Oh Mary, do encourage your mother. Stories need to go from one generation to another to another; they guide people along the way!

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  4. I would love to have known your mother. She sounds like such a strong woman. I can understand why it would be hard to break the lock and read the letters. I plan to read this amazing book.

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    1. Wow, Pat. I think I can see Sigrid smiling with your words. You won't be disappointed when reading A WORLD ELSEWHERE. Captivating title, right?!

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    2. Breaking into that box felt a bit like opening Pandora's box, but then my unknown father emerged like a genie out of a bottle - you young, so lively. It was miraculous!

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  5. Oh this looks "right up my alley." I would like to read and review this true story. Sounds very interesting.
    Barb Waite
    Barb@BarbaraAnneWaite.com

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    1. Barbara, I hope you and Sigrid do connect. That would be wonderful if you could review her book.

      Thanks for your visit!

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    2. Hi Barbara, I certainly hope you will, and please let me know your response. Like real life, it's not always fun, but it is a lesson.

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  6. Katherine MeadApril 25, 2015

    This is a wonderfully written story, woven together through letters and imagination and helped me understand a view of history I was not a part of. School books told of battles and dates and atrocities but this tells the human story and how a war affected families in particular. Thanks, Sigris, for all your amazing work putting it together so we could share the story!

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    1. Katherine, thanks so much for your visit. I agree. While history needs to be taught in schools and text books are one way to do it, it certainly comes alive and shows the reader what really happened. Sigrid offered a marvelous and needed perspective.

      I hope you'll visit Everyone's Story again.

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    2. No textbook history, just the real thing, as it affected so many who never show up on textbook pages. Thank you!

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  7. Sigrid, I'm so glad you shared this story. WWII is definitely my favorite era, and real-life stories are never-ending…and I never get tired of them! I'm writing about WWII resistance in S. France, but not from a family perspective. What a TREASURE you have, and I'm certainly thankful you opened that precious box! We never know what the past will reveal, and it takes courage to delve into the unknown. Thank you, would love to read/review your book.

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    1. Nice to see you again, Gail. I think Sigrid, like her mom, has shown a lot of courage!

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    2. Well Gail, if you are writing about the resistance in France, you now what is involved, and appreciate all the complexities. I was lucky to have so much immediate family material, but putting that on the vast historical canvas was a perpetual challenge. Good luck with your book! As you know,WWII is a mine of stories.

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  8. It sounds like your mother gave you an amazing legacy.
    How great that you are able to share this heartfelt story
    and show that not everything is as cut and dry as it may seem
    to others from the outside. Thank you for sharing this
    wonderful interview, Sigrid and Elaine.

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    1. Kathy, thanks for visiting. Sigrid has shown us all a valuable lesson: you can't change your family's past but by sharing it, certain precious life lessons can be taught to present generations to share with future ones. I'm glad you enjoyed the interview.

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    2. Thanks for your thoughts, Kathleen. It sound as if we agree. I think it so important to tell the stories that do not make it into the history books. Those stories - not just the dates battles, and treaties - are what history is really about. And, as you say, those stories are rarely cut and dried. If we kept them in mind more often, we might actually have fewer battles and less need for treaties.

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    3. Brilliantly and beautifully said, Sigrid.

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  9. I like memoirs like these.

    poetryinleaves(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. Memoirs are always fascinating. As humans, we have so much to commiserate, teach, and help each other. Actually, in my opinion, we have an obligation.

      Hope to see you again!

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    2. Of course, I'm delighted that you liked this memoir. It is one that is very close to my heart, and has shaped a big part of my life. Thank you.

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  10. Maxie AndersonApril 26, 2015

    Hello Sigrid I enjoyed your post about a life elsewhere and liked us telling us your story. I had a brother in that war. Also had a best friend with the MacRae name. I really want to win a copy of your book.

    Maxie mac262(at)me(dot)com

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    1. Maxie, thanks for your visit. I always enjoy when you stop by. I love your enthusiastic interest in history! An thankful for your brother's service to our country.

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    2. Maxie, I'm sure your brother also had many stories to tell about his experiences. Many people keep their really big, overwhelming experiences bottled up, but I think it would be better for the world if they could manage to bring them out into the open, and let the truth about war show that peace is far better. As for the MacRaes, they are an ancient clan with a beautiful castle in Scotland called Eilean Donan. I really hope you win the book too!

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  11. This has been a busy week at Everyone's Story with two guests. I want to thank my first guest, Sigrid MacRae, with much appreciation for sharing such an intimate and powerful story not only with us but with the world by publishing this incredible testimony of family life during a very unfortunate time in history. Sigrid, I truly marvel at your strength. Thanks so much for being my guest this week.

    Thanks too for your BookGiveaway of A WORLD ELSEWHERE. The winner is…

    Patricia B. Wow! You will be fascinated by this read! Both Sigrid and I will be in touch with you directly via emails.

    I will be thanking my other guest, Karen Campbell Prough, within her own blog feature.

    Blessings to all.

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