Though not often found in our history books, in the immediate aftermath of World War II, Germany confronted a crisis of epic proportions. By 1945, the end of the war had left the state vulnerable to political disintegration, severe economic ruin, and profound social dislocation. While scholarly and popular literature addresses Germany's wartime experiences, comparatively fewer studies and narratives examine day-to-day conditions and psychological consequences endured by ordinary individuals in the subsequent postwar period.
Trauterose, an award-winning book, presents such an account through the first-person testimony of Elisabeth Haggblade. Orphaned at birth during the height of World War II, she spent the first eleven years of her life in the household of a former S.S. officer and his family. The book offers readers an unusually rare perspective on postwar Germany—one grounded not in retrospective reconstruction alone, but in an experiential record of survival, adaptation, and loss.
The work has received notable recognition, including the 2024 IndieReader Discovery Award (Memoir category) and First Place Non-Fiction in The Authors Show 2024 Book Cover Awards. More than a personal narrative, Trauterose provides a sustained and insightful window onto a pivotal historical moment, illustrating how daily life was continually shaped by instability and deprivation.
As reflected in her testimony, Haggblade—along with others she encountered during childhood—was marked both physically and psychologically by wartime violence and its aftermath. In a period when Germany's social institutions and material conditions were especially fragile, the effort to navigate everyday existence often required constant negotiation. Yet the narrative emphasizes, as well, the enduring roles of faith and communal support in sustaining resilience.
Elisabeth writes, "One person aiding and delivering faith: The late Pope Benedict XVI, known then as Herr Joseph Ratzinger, teacher of catechism in our fourth-grade class in the 1950s. After he left our school, his hand-written letter spelled out the proper path to follow in growing up: 'If one buttons one's coat the wrong way, one would have to undo all of it and start over again to make it right. So it is with life,' admonishing us 'to choose the right beginning.'"
Haggblade stated, "I wrote this book as a reaction to reports and pictures of that time that I saw: Glamorous portrayals in German magazines of the postwar years. More importantly, I wanted to respond to positive comments I kept hearing from Americans about their understanding of the postwar years. Both impressions were in contrast to my experience growing up and those I came in contact with. They told only one side of the story."
By looking back, the memoir traces how Germany has reckoned with its past and what it has become politically, sociologically, and economically. As Baruch Spinoza exhorts: "To understand, not judge."
Readers and reviewers have expressed praise for Trauterose. Craig Jones of IndieReader wrote, "TRAUTEROSE (Growing Up in Postwar Munich) by Elisabeth Haggblade offers an uncompromising, moving, and elegiac memoir of a deprived childhood in postwar Germany." Midwest Book Review said, "Libraries seeking powerful, personal memoirs that hold political and social lessons and insights will find Trauterose a study in adaptation, survival, and growth."
Trauterose is available in print, ebook, and audiobook forms at Amazon. More information is available at her website at trauteroseauthor.com.
