Zach Ullom

Surviving Hitler, Evading Stalin is a unique and gripping account to read. As Mildred Schindler Janzen recalls her story, one cannot help but be in awe of the fortitude of the Schindler family during such difficult and life altering times. Moreover, every step that she recounts and every turn that her story takes demonstrates God’s control and grace even in devastating situations. If you are like me, most of what you hear in popular culture implies or even explicitly states that the German people were all complicit supporters of Hitler’s Reich. The story of the Schindler family shows that such a popular narrative was not always the case. It was truly a page-turner to learn about the negative impact and fear that Hitler brought upon his own people, and it was heart breaking to read of Mrs. Janzen and many of her people moving from hardship under Hitler into oppression under Stalin’s Soviet army. As historical information weaves through autobiography one gains insight into a time and place of which most are ignorant. I was constantly amazed at how one grueling circumstance could follow another and yet how each challenge was met with some intervention that kept moving Mrs. Janzen out of persecution and towards salvation. While there is certainly tragedy within these pages, this book is an uplifting story of how God watched over a small girl from the farm. Even more, it is the story of a woman who serves as a positive example of how to encounter hardship, tragedy, and isolation while never losing faith in God and never losing love for people. It was heartwarming to read of her adventures in the United States of America, the help in this midst of great challenges that she received, and the miraculous way that God continued to work in her life. This truly is an amazing autobiography to read, and I highly recommend it to history buffs, to those who wonder if God is still there in tragic times, and to those in need of a positive and uplifting female example.