Helga's Story

Book excerpt: Living history through the eyes of a young German girl. Based on a true story. Like many little girls, Helga Reiter dreams of horses. More than anything, the six-year-old wants to learn to ride and become a great equestrian. But, in 1941, the world is at war... Having overrun much Europe and North Africa, Germany's glorious military has no spare horses for frivolous childhood dreams. Stubborn as any good German shoulder, Helga, contrives several ill-fated attempts to ride. By late 1944, Helga has no choice but to forgo her dream and face a terrible reality. Her country is losing the war. As Germany is crushed between the Soviet and Allied advance, the Reiter family struggles to survive one day at a time.