How the geographics are changed by war is evidenced in Doris' biography. She grew up in the City of Gdansk (formerly Danzig) formerly a Free state with its own currency, flag, and Government system. The Baltic Sea was part of her environment, part of her home, and cultural upbringing. World War II changed all of that and the consequences of losing the war, woke her up to the reality of losing all of that in an instant. She became a refugee in Germany and a war bride that brought her to the United States. She looks back at her life and describes the reality of what happened in her life, then and now. "Surviving" is the only way to describe her journey.
