Books by Rolf Margenau
Award-Winning Novelist and Photographer
Now Available - War Story
A fresh perspective on World War II - a nine-year-old on the home front, a German prisoner of war in Mississippi, young women ferrying war planes, a young officer working Enigma codes and rockets, and a lawyer trying to keep the government from sending thousands of German and Italian American citizens to concentration camps.
Readers of World War II fiction will find War Story a compelling novel because, unlike most such fiction which takes place either on the home front or on the battlefield, this story juxtaposes the changed lives and perspectives of four very different characters during the war...Historical fiction readers with a special interest in the times, as well as those who appreciate a strongly rooted wartime story, will find War Story a standout for its depth, contrasts, and ability to mine the field of conflict for deeper underlying influences and messages.
D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
The well-researched novel provides insights into little-known secret missions during World War II in Europe and brings to light the internment in America of thousands of German and Italian Americans, many of whom were citizens by naturalization or birth.
Five Stars "Must Read" from Reedsy
Novelist and photographer Margenau's wartime coming-of-age novel centers around four youths each facing their adventures during the upheaval of the second World War. Takeaway: This warm account of young people in the second World War will please lovers of character-rich historical fiction. Great for fans of James Holland's Twenty-One: Coming of Age in the Second World War and Susan Meissner's The Last Year of the War.
From Publishers Weekly Booklife
In the dark days of World War II, four Americans of German descent experience the conflict between the United States and Nazi Germany. Through their eyes, readers witness their triumphs and tragedies throughout the war that reshaped the world. Using brisk storytelling, Rolf C. Margenau's WAR STORY offers readers a fascinating glimpse into overlooked events of World War II, making history feel immediate and captivating. Rated 4.5.
Danijel Štriga for IndieReader
Five Star Reedsy Review - A Must read 🏆 WWII experiences of loosely connected characters, especially the adorable child Achim
War Story is a novel that follows four major characters during World War II. Three of them come from the German American community in New Haven, Connecticut. Achim is a nine-year-old boy who recounts his experiences on the home front during the war in the first person, like Tom Sawyer meets World War II. Liesel is a young aviatrix who fulfills her life’s ambition and ferries war planes in the United States and then in Britain, where she has harrowing experiences, gains pay equal to her male cohorts, and falls in love. Paul is an engineering graduate from Yale, who becomes an Army officer, goes to Britain, and gets involved with the Enigma code, German rockets, and the OSS spy agency. Horst is a Nazi tank commander captured in North Africa and sent to a POW camp in Mississippi.
The well-researched novel provides insights into little-known secret missions during World War II in Europe and brings to light the internment in America of thousands of German and Italian Americans, many of whom were citizens by naturalization or birth. Details of how the U.S. traded those internees for Americans held by the Nazis and how it treated tens of thousands of German POWs during the war will surprise many readers.