Publisher's Synopsis
This memoir concludes the trilogy "100 Years of Fortitude" - 1914 to 2014, dramatizing the fate of the author's Baltic German family. Persecuted by Soviets during two world wars, they immigrated to America. With an enthusiastic start in California, Gisela would return to her place in society the war had taken from her. The political upheavals of the '60s and '70s offered twists and turns in finding the life she sought, but when motherhood was denied to her, she took the road less traveled to love and spiritual enlightenment. Set in Poland, Austria, Germany, France and the United States, Selfie starts with the death of Gisela's third husband, an American scientist. It then winds its way back through WWII, escaping Soviet capture, carpet bombing and the Reich's surrender. Landing in Austria with just the clothes on their backs, Mama and her four siblings discover ever new ways to sustain life. Lack of housing, food, and medication are met with humor, not tears. As eldest daughter, Gisela takes charge and forages for food and firewood. Her charm and fortitude attract neighborhood boys who help out when needed. Her upper class background make her a natural leader. The post war years in the ruins of Germany challenge her ingenuity. A refugee she must deal with the loss of her father, her identity, and her homeland. Getting through the postwar years deprives her of an education, but she adapts and goes to work at 15, helping her family get through. When she meets a German colleague and he proposes, she accepts and emigrates with him to California. Early on Gisela knows the power of her charm, wit and determination. While working at Caltech she meets and falls in love with a French student. When her husband finds out, she leaves him and heads for Paris. Alain is drafted into the French Army and sent to Algeria. Rather than return to California, she get a job with the US military and sets up house. She marries Alain and joins him in Algeria before returning to France and California. There he is hired by IBM and launches a stellar career. Unable to conceive, Gisela gets desperate and searches for a sperm donor. On vacation on Tahiti she meets and falls in love with a man from Austria. They must part and nothing becomes of it. More twists and turns that get her into the arms of her boss, an education, and another marriage.The second part is life in America during the civil rights years. As the wife of a scientist she meets international luminaries in the nuclear field while dealing with real estate investments and learning to become a novelist. Her intensive search for inner growth and enlightenment take her to unexpected discoveries. She finds the path that takes her to her goal as she becomes a member of California's society.