Mischlinge

A FORGOTTEN MANUSCRIPT. A FAMILY SECRET. AND THE URGENT NEED TO TELL THE WORLD ABOUT THE CHILDREN HITLER WANTED DEAD. THE TRUE STORY OF THE MISCHLINGE. Mischling (plural: Mischlinge): a cruel, derogatory term created by the Nazi regime to brand those of 'mixed blood'; children born to both Jewish and Aryan parents and grandparents. A word designed to degrade, divide and deny humanity. Berlin, 1935. A knock sounds at the Bernstein family's door. Eight-year-old Edie answers it to two Gestapo officials, who issue an unthinkable ultimatum; Edie's mother must divorce her Jewish husband – for the supposed 'protection' of her children. They hear the word Mischlinge for the first time. And from that moment on. it becomes a stain that seeps into every corner of their existence. Teachers and classmates gradually turn against Edie and her big brother Heini. Neighbours begin disappearing in the night. With each passing day, the circle tightens – until there is no safe place at home or on the streets. As antisemitic laws multiply and people around them disappear, Edie and Heini are dragged into a world of interrogation, surveillance and fear. Every knock at the door threatens separation. Every whisper risks arrest. Yet even as the Nazis close in, Edie and Heini refuse to let go of one another. 'Perhaps the most remarkable untold history of the Holocaust. Sharon Ring has done her mum proud with this brilliant – and utterly terrifying – story. A story so unlikely that it reads like a novel – yet every word is true.' – Rory Clements

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