Aaron's War, New Historical Fiction Novel By Richard McMaster, Presents A Gripping Tale Of One Jewish Soldier's Moral Dilemma And Struggles With PTSD During WWII

 

McMaster deftly weaves WWII in Ukraine, coming of age, antisemitism, forbidden marriage, PTSD, and substance abuse into a masterpiece of a novel that delivers a breathtaking story of love, courage, and sacrifice.

Aaron's War is a harrowing and utterly brilliant coming-of-age, historical fiction story set against the backdrop of World War II. Aaron Vanko, an innocent Iowa farm boy, must wrestle with the ultimate test of humanity that so many veterans have faced: the willingness to kill in the name of duty. Aaron finds himself torn between his allegiance to his country and his personal belief system. Remarkably, just hours before deployment, a shocking revelation rocks his world: he discovers his Jewish heritage, shattering his sense of identity to its core.

Despite his sense of dread, Aaron forges ahead, driven by a profound sense of duty and patriotism. But now he finds he must battle on two fronts - the enemy forces without, sworn to wipe the Jewish race from the face of the earth, and the ethical dilemma within himself.

When the war is over and he at last steps back onto familiar soil, the now-vanquished demons of war morph into a new adversary: PTSD, a crippling affliction that haunts his every moment. He finds himself stripped of everything he once held dear, grappling with a darkness far more insidious than any enemy he faced on the battlefield. In this final harrowing struggle for survival, he leaves his new wife and child behind to fight not only for his own redemption but for the chance to reclaim the now scattered fragments of his shattered life.

Aaron's War is at once gut-wrenching in its realism and elegant in its simplicity. It is a masterful piece of writing that will likely take its place as one of the best WWII historical fiction novels ever written.

"I wrote Aaron's War," McMaster stated, “to represent all the patriot soldiers who are not born killers, and in the end are most vulnerable to the ravages of PTSD."

Readers and reviewers has have praised Aaron's War. USA Today bestselling author Holly Roberts called Aarons War, "A coming of age story that grips your soul and takes you on a thought-provoking journey." Tom Porter, author of All I Need To Know About Business I Learned From A Duck stated, "An engaging, informative and thought-provoking tale of survival, love and faith. Make room for Richard McMaster on your list of up-and-coming authors." Lynn M. Safris said, “The descriptions and details given throughout this author's writing draw the reader into each page, making Aaron's journey feel like their own. I believe this book would appeal to a wide audience of readers. I truly enjoyed reading Aaron's War and I highly recommend this book."

Richard McMaster is also the author of A Love Divided By Time, described as "one part The Notebook, one part suspenseful psychopath story, and one part Somewhere in Time." In that book, Forrest and Allie believed they found love in a previous life and being born again was a game of hide-and-seek to find each other in plain sight, seeking their better halves, united and whole. When tragedy strikes, Forrest makes a pact to find her killer, raise their daughter and find peace by joining her in the ever after.

Richard McMaster is available for media interviews and can be reached at Lifevoyages@gmail.com. More information is available at his website at https://richard-mcmaster.com/. All of his books are available at Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/stores/Richard-McMaster/author/B01LDIJ2QU?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true.

About Richard McMaster:

Richard McMaster is a former health care executive who led three different start-up companies and served on numerous boards. He is an Iowa native who lived in North Idaho for nearly twenty years and now resides in Phoenix, Arizona.

As a young man two career paths diverged, the safe and ready one and the less traveled lonely winding one with an uncertain destination--the writer. He chose the well-worn path and early career success pushed him further along the business path. But the path has now taken him back to the one he wished he had taken.

Contact:

Richard McMaster

https://richard-mcmaster.com

Lifevoyages@gmail.com

 

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Award Winning, Bestselling Author Malve von Hassell Announces Tapestry Of My Mothers Life Will Be Available At Special Pricing From February 14 Through February 20, 2022

Malve von Hassell is a freelance writer, researcher, and translator. She holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from the New School for Social Research. She has published nine books and a number of journal articles. The book was awarded a Five Star Medal by The Historical Fiction Press Awards in 2021.

Bestselling author Malve von Hassell has announced that her award-winning book, Tapestry of My Mother's Life, will be available from February 14 through February 20, 2022, in e-book format, for 99 cents.

Growing up in Nazi Germany, surviving the Soviet occupation and settling in the West is the subject of her award-winning book. According to Wikipedia, "During the later stages of World War II and the post-war period, millions of Germans and Volksdeutsche fled or were expelled from various Eastern and Central European countries, including Czechoslovakia, and the former German provinces of Silesia, Pomerania, and East Prussia, which were annexed by Poland and the Soviet Union.

Malve von Hassell's mother, Christa, was one of those people who made it to the West, eventually settling in America. von Hassell explores her mother's life through the fragmented lens of transmitted memory, and its impact on the second generation.

Born at her grandfather's house in Farther Pomerania, 1923, Christa von Hassell had to contend with the increasing and pervasive impact of the Nazi regime. As the child of a German army officer, she moved with her parents often. Through boarding school, university, marriage, the Second World War, life under Soviet occupation, and a new beginning in the West, eventually in America, the biography is an incredible, emotional journey of childhood, survival, and relationships.

The portrayal of Christa's life also focuses on the role of memory: shaped, distorted, and realigned in the continual process of telling stories of the past in conjunction with silence about many aspects. Children of women who shared similar experiences and life trajectories struggled with the challenge of learning about their parents' lives during extraordinary times, confounded by a wealth of stories on the one hand and a seemingly impenetrable veil of silence on the other.

Working through such memorabilia, as well as the tales of the past, can offer ways in which one can come to terms with the inherited detritus of thoughts and memories. As such, this account of the life of a unique and complex individual has also wider relevance in that it addresses age-old questions of the relationship between one generation and the next.

Tapestry Of My Mother's Life: Stories, Fragments, And Silences was awarded a Five Star Medal by The Historical Fiction Press Awards in 2021.

Readers and reviewers have praised Tapestry Of My Mother's Life. One said, "There is much I could say about this book, but one of the things that remains with me as I came to the end, was the haunting imagery that Hassell paints, of a woman who saw and endured so much pain, suffering and brutality before, during and after the war, and who, out of necessity to live and not sink into the maws of that depressive period, locked the pain away, deep inside, and moreover, rarely, if ever, expressed what she felt. One sees a stoic figure in one respect, a brave crusader in another, and a mother who simply wanted to make the best life for herself and her family and refused to admit or even express her own pain, or emotions. This is an excellent book. Every mother should be so privileged to have their stories so beautifully put to words." Another stated, "A remarkable story of the author's mother and her family life during one of the most important periods in history. Written with love and full of historical facts, it is a brilliant and exciting read not to be missed."

Other works by Malve von Hassell include:

The Struggle for Eden: Community Gardens in New York City (Bergin & Garvey 2002)
Homesteading in New York City 1978-1993
The Divided Heart of Loisaida (Bergin & Garvey 1996)
Letters from the Tooth Fairy (Amazon KDP 2012/2020)
Turtle Crossing (Amazon KDP 2021),
Dott’s Wonderful Travels and Adventures (Two Harbors Press, 2012), a translation and annotation of a German children’s classic by Tamara Ramsay
The Falconer’s Apprentice (namelos, 2015), her first historical fiction novel for young adults
Alina: A Song for the Telling (BHC Press, 2020), set in Jerusalem in the time of the crusades
The Amber Crane (Odyssey Books, 2021), set in Germany in 1645 and 1945.
She has edited her grandfather Ulrich von Hassell's memoirs written in prison in 1944, Der Kreis schließt sich - Aufzeichnungen aus der Haft 1944 (Propylaen Verlag 1994)

Tapestry Of My Mother's Life will be available for 99 cents in ebook format at Amazon from from February 14 through February 20, 2022 at https://www.amazon.com/Tapestry-My-Mothers-Life-Fragments-ebook/dp/B09L49KH6V/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1644676343&sr=8-1. Malve von Hassell is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at malvevonhassell@optonline.net. All of her books are available at online retail outlets. More information is available at her website at https://www.malvevonhassell.com.

About Malve von Hassell

Malve von Hassell was born in Italy and spent part of her childhood in Belgium and Germany before moving to the United States. She is a freelance writer, researcher, and translator. She holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from the New School for Social Research and has taught at Queens College, Baruch College, Pace University, and Suffolk County Community College. Currently, she is working on a biographical work about a woman coming of age in Nazi Germany.

Contact:

Malve von Hassell

malvevonhassell@optonline.net

https://www.malvevonhassell.com

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Growing Up In Nazi Germany, Surviving The Soviet Occupation And Settling In The West Is The Subject Of Tapestry Of My Mother's Life By Best Selling Author Malve von Hassell

Malve von Hassell is a freelance writer, researcher, and translator. She holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from the New School for Social Research. She has published nine books and a number of journal articles. The book was awarded a Five Star Medal by The Historical Fiction Press Awards in 2021.

According to Wikipedia, "During the later stages of World War II and the post-war period, millions of Germans and Volksdeutsche fled or were expelled from various Eastern and Central European countries, including Czechoslovakia, and the former German provinces of Silesia, Pomerania, and East Prussia, which were annexed by Poland and the Soviet Union.  By 1950, a total of approximately 12 million Germans had fled or been expelled from east-central Europe into Allied-occupied Germany and Austria. The West German government put the total at 14.6 million, including a million ethnic Germans who had settled in territories conquered by Nazi Germany during World War II, ethnic German migrants to Germany after 1950, and the children born to expelled parents. The largest numbers came from former eastern territories of Germany ceded to the People's Republic of Poland and the Soviet Union (about seven million) and from Czechoslovakia (about three million)."

Malve von Hassell's mother, Christa, was one of those people who made it to the West, eventually settling in America.  von Hassell explores her mother's life through the fragmented lens of transmitted memory, and its impact on the second generation.

Born at her grandfather's house in Farther Pomerania, 1923, Christa von Hassell had to contend with the increasing and pervasive impact of the Nazi regime. As the child of a German army officer, she moved with her parents often. Through boarding school, university, marriage, the Second World War, life under Soviet occupation, and a new beginning in the West, eventually in America, the biography is an incredible, emotional journey of childhood, survival, and relationships.

The portrayal of Christa's life also focuses on the role of memory: shaped, distorted, and realigned in the continual process of telling stories of the past in conjunction with silence about many aspects. Children of women who shared similar experiences and life trajectories struggled with the challenge of learning about their parents' lives during extraordinary times, confounded by a wealth of stories on the one hand and a seemingly impenetrable veil of silence on the other.

Working through such memorabilia, as well as the tales of the past, can offer ways in which one can come to terms with the inherited detritus of thoughts and memories. As such, this account of the life of a unique and complex individual has also wider relevance in that it addresses age-old questions of the relationship between one generation and the next.

“In 1950, the country was still struggling with absorbing the vast number of refugees, while at the same time trying to rebuild its devastated cities," von Hassell stated. "More than half of residential space had been destroyed during the war. Christa, Christa’s relatives, and many of her friends were among the refugees from Pomerania, East Prussia, and Silesia, and faced the enormous challenge of trying to create a new life in a country overwhelmed with this influx of people. These experiences, on top of the experiences during the Nazi era and World War II, shaped their personalities and produced survival strategies of stoicism and silence, which in turn affected their relationships with the next generation.”

Tapestry Of My Mother's Life: Stories, Fragments, And Silences was awarded a Five Star Medal by The Historical Fiction Press Awards in 2021.

Readers and reviewers have praised Tapestry Of My Mother's Life. One said, "There is much I could say about this book, but one of the things that remains with me as I came to the end, was the haunting imagery that Hassell paints, of a woman who saw and endured so much pain, suffering and brutality before, during and after the war, and who, out of necessity to live and not sink into the maws of that depressive period, locked the pain away, deep inside, and moreover, rarely, if ever, expressed what she felt. One sees a stoic figure in one respect, a brave crusader in another, and a mother who simply wanted to make the best life for herself and her family and refused to admit or even express her own pain, or emotions. This is an excellent book. Every mother should be so privileged to have their stories so beautifully put to words." Another stated, "A remarkable story of the author's mother and her family life during one of the most important periods in history. Written with love and full of historical facts, it is a brilliant and exciting read not to be missed."

Other works by Malve von Hassell include:

The Struggle for Eden: Community Gardens in New York City (Bergin & Garvey 2002)
Homesteading in New York City 1978-1993
The Divided Heart of Loisaida (Bergin & Garvey 1996)
Letters from the Tooth Fairy (Amazon KDP 2012/2020)
Turtle Crossing (Amazon KDP 2021),
Dott’s Wonderful Travels and Adventures (Two Harbors Press, 2012), a translation and annotation of a German children’s classic by Tamara Ramsay
The Falconer’s Apprentice (namelos, 2015), her first historical fiction novel for young adults
Alina: A Song for the Telling (BHC Press, 2020), set in Jerusalem in the time of the crusades
The Amber Crane (Odyssey Books, 2021), set in Germany in 1645 and 1945.
She has edited her grandfather Ulrich von Hassell's memoirs written in prison in 1944, Der Kreis schließt sich - Aufzeichnungen aus der Haft 1944 (Propylaen Verlag 1994)

Malve von Hassell is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at malvevonhassell@optonline.net. All of her books are available at online retail outlets. More information is available at her website at https://www.malvevonhassell.com.

About Malve von Hassell

Malve von Hassell was born in Italy and spent part of her childhood in Belgium and Germany before moving to the United States. She is a freelance writer, researcher, and translator. She holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from the New School for Social Research and has taught at Queens College, Baruch College, Pace University, and Suffolk County Community College. Currently, she is working on a biographical work about a woman coming of age in Nazi Germany.

Contact:

Malve von Hassell

malvevonhassell@optonline.net

https://www.malvevonhassell.com

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Best Selling Author Malve von Hassell Announces Release Of New Book, Tapestry Of My Mother's Life: Stories, Fragments, And Silences

Malve von Hassell is a freelance writer, researcher, and translator. She holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from the New School for Social Research. She has published nine books and a number of journal articles. The book was awarded a Five Star Medal by The Historical Fiction Press Awards in 2021.

How much do we really know about the lives of our parents - before they became our parents? Frankly, most of us only know what they have allowed us to know. There are many reasons why they might keep a secret or two. Embarrassment perhaps, regret or a mindset that does not allow for discussion of "certain" topics.

Communication across that generational gap is the subject of best-selling author Malve von Hassell's latest book, Tapestry Of My Mother's Life: Stories, Fragments, And Silences. Her story however is utterly unique, in that it begins in Nazi Germany in the 1930s, a dark time when dropping secrets or talking too much could cost someone's life.

Malve von Hassell explores her mother's life through the fragmented lens of transmitted memory, and its impact on the second generation.

Born at her grandfather's house in Farther Pomerania, 1923, Christa von Hassell had to contend with the increasing and pervasive impact of the Nazi regime. As the child of a German army officer, she moved with her parents often. Through boarding school, university, marriage, the Second World War, life under Soviet occupation, and a new beginning in the West, eventually in America, the biography is an incredible, emotional journey of childhood, survival, and relationships.

The portrayal of Christa's life also focuses on the role of memory: shaped, distorted, and realigned in the continual process of telling stories of the past in conjunction with silence about many aspects. Children of women who shared similar experiences and life trajectories struggled with the challenge of learning about their parents' lives during extraordinary times, confounded by a wealth of stories on the one hand and a seemingly impenetrable veil of silence on the other.

Working through such memorabilia, as well as the tales of the past, can offer ways in which one can come to terms with the inherited detritus of thoughts and memories. As such, this account of the life of a unique and complex individual has also wider relevance in that it addresses age-old questions of the relationship between one generation and the next.

“Readers of this book will in enjoy this colorful biographical portrait that provides insights into less frequently depicted aspects of life in Nazi Germany and in the aftermath,” Malve stated. “Writing this book has been a journey of discovery. I learned a lot about my mother and came to a greater understanding of her complex and unique personality. At the same time, I learned more about what shaped me.”

Tapestry Of My Mother's Life: Stories, Fragments, And Silences was awarded a Five Star Medal by The Historical Fiction Press Awards in 2021.

Readers and reviewers have praised Tapestry Of My Mother's Life. One said, "There is much I could say about this book, but one of the things that remains with me as I came to the end, was the haunting imagery that Hassell paints, of a woman who saw and endured so much pain, suffering and brutality before, during and after the war, and who, out of necessity to live and not sink into the maws of that depressive period, locked the pain away, deep inside, and moreover, rarely, if ever, expressed what she felt. One sees a stoic figure in one respect, a brave crusader in another, and a mother who simply wanted to make the best life for herself and her family and refused to admit or even express her own pain, or emotions. This is an excellent book. Every mother should be so privileged to have their stories so beautifully put to words." Another stated, "A remarkable story of the author's mother and her family life during one of the most important periods in history. Written with love and full of historical facts, it is a brilliant and exciting read not to be missed."

Other works by Malve von Hassell include:

The Struggle for Eden: Community Gardens in New York City (Bergin & Garvey 2002)
Homesteading in New York City 1978-1993
The Divided Heart of Loisaida (Bergin & Garvey 1996)
Letters from the Tooth Fairy (Amazon KDP 2012/2020)
Turtle Crossing (Amazon KDP 2021),
Dott’s Wonderful Travels and Adventures (Two Harbors Press, 2012), a translation and annotation of a German children’s classic by Tamara Ramsay
The Falconer’s Apprentice (namelos, 2015), her first historical fiction novel for young adults
Alina: A Song for the Telling (BHC Press, 2020), set in Jerusalem in the time of the crusades
The Amber Crane (Odyssey Books, 2021), set in Germany in 1645 and 1945.
She has edited her grandfather Ulrich von Hassell's memoirs written in prison in 1944, Der Kreis schließt sich - Aufzeichnungen aus der Haft 1944 (Propylaen Verlag 1994)

Malve von Hassell is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at malvevonhassell@optonline.net. All of her books are available at online retail outlets. More information is available at her website at https://www.malvevonhassell.com.

About Malve von Hassell

Malve von Hassell was born in Italy and spent part of her childhood in Belgium and Germany before moving to the United States. She is a freelance writer, researcher, and translator. She holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from the New School for Social Research and has taught at Queens College, Baruch College, Pace University, and Suffolk County Community College. Currently, she is working on a biographical work about a woman coming of age in Nazi Germany.

Contact:

Malve von Hassell

malvevonhassell@optonline.net

https://www.malvevonhassell.com

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