Little Girl Lost was an accidental read. Amongst my piles of books that had been passed onto me, one night having finished one novel, I just took the next one-off the pile and began reading. I had no idea I was embarking on a journey of two girls survival during World War 2 in the form of a memoir. Even more so, I had no idea I was reading about what happened to two ordinary German girls.
Maybe it is just me, but the stories I only ever hear/read/view from WW2 are those that involve the British sense of survival, sticking together, doing what has to be done, or the stories of the Jews fight for survival. I just want to say that I believe that it is right we hear what happened to the Jews, just as I think it is important for the British to know how important it was for everyone to unite (although my Grandmother had plenty to say that opposed the common view). however, when I realised what I had in my hands, I was slightly wary, I for one had not been told much about the Germans, I am not even sure I ever considered what had happened to the children.
I accept a certain naivety on this front, but lets face it, in a British classroom learning history the view is somewhat limited.
I can honestly say reading this text I went through a rollercoaster of emotions. Human kindness is very rarely discussed, as if we have some shame in being happy to help others, but this book really showed how much difference just a hug, a simple gesture of a glass of water, companionship can make to others. The bonds that tie us, our desires to do whatever is necessary not to just survive ourselves, but to make sure the stranger on the pavement survives also.
It wasn’t all kindness though. The strangers that turned two girls away during the night, refusing to offer a bed, the men that destroyed their possessions and raped the elder sister.
The book is mixed with encounters with various nationalities, including the German, British and American soldiers. It also talks about seeing men looking dazed at the roadside. It is with hindsight that the author can say it was the men recently released from the concentration camps.
This book is not an easy read, nor is it an actual account of the war. It is a memoir. A tale as seen through a childs eyes. It will make you smile, make you cry, scream and shout. It is extremely well written, and very sympathetic to all sides involved. Memoirs may not be your thing, but do give this a go. It really does make you realise the war images we see on TV are just one part of the story, I think we could all do with a reminder of that.
Elena Ransley 