Heart of the Sparrow

In her memoir, Erika reflects on being born at the beginning of WWII in Dusseldorf, Germany, and how her innocence during bombing raids, destruction, an evacuation, and an eventual escape helped shape who she became. The family's home was bombed and completely destroyed, and those still at home were evacuated into East Germany. The family of five miraculously all survived the war even with her oldest brother away at a boarding school that shut down during the war, and her father, a soldier who was captured and imprisoned in an American POW camp.

Her story includes a retelling of their harrowing escape back to West Germany through the Russian border created after the war. The Berlin Wall was erected in that area. She discusses the roles of her experiences, her family, events, and choices that eventually led her to New York and then on to Denver, Colorado, becoming an accomplished and now retired grandmother of eight.

Heart of the Sparrow by Erika Mannheim Schafer offers a poignant look at survival, resilience, and the lifelong journey from a war-torn Europe to a life of accomplishments and family in the United States.