The Mortal Storm
Multi-cultural fiction, Philosophy, Poetry
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
Summary
Freya Roth has everything a young woman could want. Her father is a kind and brilliant professor, her mother loving and beautiful, and there are three fine brothers. She is studying to be a doctor, and her suitro is rich… and handsome. Then Hitler comes into power. Her older half-brothers turn against their stepfather, who is Jewish, and both are members of the Nazi Party. At the same time, Freya meets a young Communist peasant with whom she falls in love. Personal and political differences destroy the family's once uncloded happiness, and danger grows for Freya. This book, written in 1938, foreshadowed the horrors of years to come. It was also a feminist statement, made in an entertaining way. A film of this story with James Steward and Margaret Sullivan radically changed the plot although some of the seeds that must have attracted the producers are still there. However, the book is much less conventional and more forthright. "The Mortal Storm" is a poignant, exciting and thought-provoking book.