Heppenheimer Family Holocaust Saga

"Extremely readable with close attention paid to both wider historical and intimate family details, Suchman's tale serves as a monument in words." -Kirkus ReviewsIn 1920s Germany, Alice Heppenheimer defies her family's expectations to pursue her dream of becoming a fashion designer. From the art studios of Nuremberg to the bustling streets of Frankfurt, Alice builds a successful business and finds love with Alfred Falkenstein. But as the Nazi regime rises to power, their world begins to crumble.Based on the author's extensive research into her husband's family history, Stumbling Stones follows Alice's journey as an ambitious young artist. As anti-Semitic laws destroy Jewish life in Germany, Alice and Alfred struggle desperately to escape, facing bureaucratic obstacles and financial manipulation at every turn.A powerful testament to lives lost and love enduring, Stumbling Stones illuminates the individual stories behind the statistics, ensuring that Alice Heppenheimer's name and memory will never be forgotten.

Beginning in 1930s Germany and based on their real lives, four cousins as close as siblings-Bettina, Trudi, Gustav, and Gertrud-share the experiences of the young, including first loves, marriages, and children. Bettina, the oldest, struggles to help her parents with their failing business. Trudi dresses in the latest fashions and tries to make everything look beautiful. Gustav is an artist at heart and hopes to one day open a tailoring shop. Gertrud, the youngest, is forced by her parents to keep secrets, but that doesn't stop her from chasing boys. However, over their seemingly ordinary lives hangs one critical truth-they're Jewish-putting them increasingly at risk.When World War II breaks out, the four are still in Germany or German-occupied lands, unable or unwilling to leave. How will these cousins avoid the horrors of the Nazi regime, a regime that wants them dead? Will they be able to avoid the deportations and concentration camps that have claimed their fellow Jews? Danger is their constant companion, and it will take hope and more to survive.