DANGEROUS SECRETS
A YOUNG GIRL'S TRAVAILS UNDER THE NAZIS
by
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Nikki gathered the folds of her satiny gown and stepped onto the dressmaker's platform. Pauline danced around her, tugging, pulling, chalk-marking. She adjusted the hem when a knock sounded on the door.
"Mother?" Pauline called.
"It's me." Mrs. Burger entered, pink face beaming under a halo of blond braids. She walked around the platform, clucking with approval.
Steps crunched on the staircase. Who was coming to see the bride?
Pauline tossed her brown mane, frowning. "Who's there?" she called.
The visitor didn't identify himself, nor did he bother to knock. Nikki stood still; the dressmaker's pins hurt whenever she moved. She didn't see who was entering, but she recognized his cologne.
"Get out!" Pauline screeched. "You're not supposed to see your bride's gown before the wedding. It's bad luck."
"How dare you, son?" Mrs. Burger scolded.
Heinz entered despite his mother's and sister's protests. Arms folded, he said, "I know I'm not supposed to look, but I can't wait to see my bride in her wedding finery. I want to know what she looks like when we dance in front of our guests. Among the invitees will be important members of the Party and the SS."
Appraising Nikki, he backed into the sunlight streaming through the window. In his open-necked shirt, minus the intimidating black SS uniform, he was a prince. His fair face, and the admiration in his blue eyes as he contemplated his bride, showed her how proud he'd be to show her off.
Leave this prince of her dreams? She cringed. A memory surfaced. In her mind, she stood at the kitchen's food elevator, gazing out at the ballroom. Papa had opened the New Year's ball with an elegant lady and Nikki promised herself she'd waltz with Papa when she turned 18. Her 18th birthday was drawing close. All along, she had looked forward to floating over the ballroom floor in Papa's arms. Now she was promised a dance with Heinz.
The way things were progressing, neither dance would happen. Could she hide her Jewish background? If she didn't, she might never see Papa again. She must abandon Heinz and heed the stepmother's advice to get out of Nazi Germany.
A sigh pulled her back to reality. She must decide soon. As Mrs. Heinz Burger, she'd remain near her family. She'd drop in at her childhood home anytime and watch her baby brother grow up. Why leave these loved ones? She had done nothing wrong. Perhaps the Nazis would never learn about her Jewish grandfather and they'd all be safe. Or would they?
She smiled down at Heinz. "Do you like my gown?"
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About the Book
Nikki suspects a family secret and she's trying to find out who saved her from drowning. This is 1932. An Austrian named Adolf Hitler is drumming up followers for his new Nazi Party. Heinz, the neighborhood boy Nikki adores, dons the brown Hitler uniform and marches about the small Bavarian town in which Nikki's parents own a hotel. In her quest for answers Nikki saves Max, a Jewish boy, from Heinz's Nazi mob and learns that her late grandfather was Jewish. She realizes the danger to herself, her younger sister, and her country cousin, Lena.
Lena visits Nikki the following summer and is beguiled by Paul, an enthusiastic Hitler youth. Surprisingly, the Nazi leader has come to power, and his men pressure Nikki's mother to vote for him. Mama refuses and dies of a heart attack. Papa meets and marries a young woman. Nikki hates her stepmother and wants out. A letter from America elates her. Max invites her to come to New York, giving her a way to escape the strained situation at home. Circumstances sway her to stay.
On a Spring day in 1937, Heinz returns after a long absence. He wants Nikki to marry him, but she dreads the black S.S. uniform he now wears and the power it gives him. When he sets the wedding date for October 18, Nikki's 18th birthday, she cannot refuse him without endangering her life and the safety of her family. The dangerous dance that began five years earlier ends with her astonishing escape from Nazi Germany.
A seasoned author and eyewitness of the times presents an authentic picture of the Nazi period. A gripping book for young adult readers and for students of the Nazi era.
About the Author
Erna Holyer, an eyewitness of the Nazi era in Germany, makes it her mission to show what life was like under Hitler and how a dictator can become entrenched in any country.
Born into a business family, Erna appeared destined to take over part of her parents' hotel in Weilheim, Upper Bavaria, Germany. Hitler's laws changed futures. Forced out of their city property, Erna's family moved to the country. At the Freskenhof, an estate her parents managed to retain, she educated herself with the aid of books.
The motivation to write germinated after the sudden death of her 23-year-old sister. She poured her shock into poems. Who cares about people after they die? Who recalls their uniqueness? Who remembers their tragedies or joys? Who tells their stories? She promised herself that one day she'd create and leave something of lasting value behind.
Meanwhile, she clerked at a nearby American military school, where she met her future husband, a man from South Dakota. The couple settled in San Jose, California. She immersed herself in the studies of English, creative writing, journalism, and fine arts. Her children's stories appeared in magazines and anthologies. Books for young readers followed, as did a teaching position in adult education.
Erna Holyer's 14 published books include a young adult trilogy (Review & Herald, 1997) and Self-Help for Writers: Winners Show You How (1stBooks Library, 2002). Her vita appears in Contemporary Authors; Who's Who in American Education; Who's Who in U.S. Writers, Editors & Poets; Something About the Author; Who's Who in America. Her affiliations include the National League of American Pen Women (NLAPW, Inc.), American Biographical Institute (ABI), and World University Roundtable.