A
quiet, peaceful, and even sweet book from Alice Herdan-Zuckermeyer.
Alice and her husband, "Zuck" were intellectuals of in Weimar-era
Berlin, he also being a playwright. The couple escaped Nazi Germany at
the start of WWII and found their way to a small Vermont farm where they
adapted to the small town ways of farm life in New England raising
goats, chickens, and pigs, and struggled to survive the harsh New
England Winters. Alice was able to keep her sanity by regular trips to
the Dartmouth College library and writes a captivating chapter on her
love of the Dartmouth library. She has also written a bit of a love
story for her newfound country calling herself an American even after
returning to Europe following the end of the war. As might be expected
with New England farm life, it can be somewhat slow in sections.
Overall, a satisfying read providing an outsider's perspective on
America during WWII and a great addition to the New York Review of Books
series.
Added bonus to the NYRB edition is the Wolf Kahn painting on the cover.
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