A Child in Berlin - Courage & Resilience during the Fall of Nazi Germany

Over the span of four years, one afternoon at a time, professional biographer Rhonda Lauritzen sat across from Heidi Posnien, now an 88-year-old woman who spent her childhood in the heart of Berlin, just a stone’s throw from Hitler’s seat of power. Posnien shared strikingly clear memories of the fear and uncertainty that permeated Nazi-infested Berlin during World War II as well as memories of her mother, Käthe, a rising star in Germany’s opera scene. But perhaps the most remarkable part of Posnien’s story is her survival in a bombed-out apartment during the final weeks of the war when she was just 9 years old.    A Child in Berlin is the remarkable true story of Heidi Posnien, her mother and their courage in the face of Nazi terror as told to Lauritzen. Käthe is a mother who must choose between her conscience and her dreams of becoming an opera star. She discovers the truth about what is happening to her Jewish friends around the time she attends a dinner party presided by Adolf Hitler himself. She realizes she cannot remain among Nazi society and makes the gut-wrenching choice to leave the opera. To support herself and young Heidi, she joins Berlin’s black-market network and ends up dealing in more than just food. As others evacuate the capital, Käthe harbors a secret that anchors them in the epicenter of danger.   While Käthe becomes ever more preoccupied with survival, Heidi and a roving pack of friends make mischief in Berlin’s rubble. The war devolves, and she braves hunger, cold and feelings of abandonment as she shuttles between Berlin and the Polish countryside. Heidi’s ultimate test comes when she must survive alone in a bombed-out apartment during the final weeks of World War II. Her moxie shows how children are capable of far more than adults realize.   Heidi Posnien married an American soldier after the war. She now lives in Huntsville, Utah. Her story serves as a reminder of the resilience and strength of the human spirit, even in the darkest of times. Her firsthand account of life in Nazi-occupied Berlin offers a unique perspective on a pivotal moment in world history. As she nears her 90th birthday, Posnien continues to share her story in the hopes of educating future generations about the horrors of war and the importance of standing up against tyranny.   “I’ve been down in the deepest sorrows, but I’ve also been on the best of highs too,” Posnien said. “I’ve eaten this big, beautiful life; I never let it eat me.”