RAMONA, Calif., January 8, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Berlin, 1945, was a cold and lonely place for Annemarie Reuter Schomaker. The effects of war had left the city in shambles and the streets filled with destruction. From the debris, a young girl rose up from the rubble a woman. Out of the Ashes: Berlin 1930 to 1950 (now available through 1stBooks) is Schomaker's memoirs of war.
Out of the Ashes is the story of a young girl who grew up under the boot of the Nazi regime. Her father would travel throughout southern Germany and Austria with a troupe of folk singers to make money. The times were hard. The world wide depression had gripped the country in starvation and unemployment. Then, Hitler seized the impoverished country in a death grip. Soon, her little troupe had become integrated into the Hitler Youth and renamed the Troupe for Radio Berlin. Her father became a roving reporter, covering youth events across the country. Then, he was killed in France as Hitler began his march for domination across Europe.
Berlin was a world of air raids and evacuation. Her mother tried to keep her four daughters together, but as chaos invaded the land, they were separated. Schomaker, who was only 12, ended up in living in a camp north of Berlin, performing with Radio Youth Berlin Group. In 1945, she and one of her sisters were living in a boarding school in Poland as the Russians and Americans tightened the vise on Germany. As the war ended, Schomaker wasn't yet 15, and Berlin was in shambles. The days of reconstruction seemed worse than war; food and employment were scarce. The communists moved in on West Berlin, closing off the city. Schomaker had to make illegal jaunts across the dangerous border between East and West Berlin just to help feed her family. Finally, she escaped to America.
Out of the Ashes is a harrowing, but also uplifting account of survival that proves that even in the darkest moments, there is a light of hope.
Schomaker now lives in California. She was a real estate agent for many years until her retirement in 1999. A widow, she has two sons, three grandchildren and one great-grandson. Active in numerous charity organizations, Schomaker says her most interesting volunteer time was spent with "Spotlight Starman," a group dedicated to keep the television series on the air. Although it was eventually cancelled, she grew close to the star of the show, Robert Hays. She worked on a cookbook titled ...endlessly creative with Hays' mother, Evie, donating all profits to Literacy Volunteers of America.
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