CBS HAPPENINGS Tracy Safron Suggests The School for German Brides by Aimie K. Runyan is a fascinating novel focusing on the lives of three young women living in Berlin at the beginning of World War II. Hanna Rombauer has grown up in the country and is in her final year of school. Following her beloved mother’s sudden death, Hanna’s father sends Hanna to live with her wealthy Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Otto in the city. Hanna’s life with the childless couple is luxurious but leaves no room for her independent streak. The eminent SS Captain Friedrich Schroeder is immediately enchanted by Hanna. He is quite a catch! Friedrich is twenty years Hanna’s senior and Hanna abhors him. Ignoring Hanna’s feelings, Charlotte stops at nothing to ensure an engagement. Mathilde (Tilde) Altman is a young woman of mixed blood from a wealthy family. The Nuremberg laws led to Tilde’s gentile father divorcing her Jewish mother-claiming this was only a formality. Post-divorce, Tilde’s father quickly marries another woman. Tilde and her mother are forced to move into an ancient apartment above their fabric shop. Tilde hides her Jewish identity and runs the business while her mother secretly tries to arrange emigration visas for them. Tilde also gives sewing lessons to Hanna’s friend, Klara Schmidt. While waiting to leave Berlin, Tilde falls in love with Samuel Eisenberg, altering her life forever. Friedrich insists Hanna attend an elite bridal boarding school where she will be molded into the perfect German wife. Klara also attends the six-week program. Tilde’s life is in immediate danger and Klara hides her in a home on school grounds. When Tilde needs medical care, Klara begs Hanna for assistance. Will Hanna risk her life to save Tilde’s? The School for German Brides takes a familiar subject and presents it in a unique way. This thought provoking novel provides important lessons for us all.
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