Hello Mr. Cherny,
I am currently reading your book The Candy Bombers and must say I'm finding it to be a very interesting and moving book. Several of the anecdotal stories of the citizens of Berlin, especially the children have been extremely touching. The young German girl who gave her rag doll to Mr. Halvorsen for his protection, the one she clutched while sheltering from the actual bombing Berlin suffered during the war brought tears to my eyes. And the young German boy who asked that candy be dropped at his home and then was upset when none came and asked "how did you win the war?" made me laugh.
I can only marvel at the change in attitude of the American soldiers and pilots as well as the German people that seemed to occur over a short time to the events of the time. After having seen the horror of the concentration camps and the feeling of how their lives had been interrupted to fight a second war in 20 years with Germany, I can understand the feelings of distrust and even hate the American servicemen felt toward Germany. That this was able to change and be appreciated by the German people as they were undergoing such terrible hardship is truly amazing.
Thank you for one of the most enjoyable and thought provoking books I have read in some time.
-- Mark, Bolingbrook, IL
Mark --
Thank you for your note. The story of how Americans and Germans moved past the animosity that built up on both sides in the years of war and occupation is one that isn't well one but that has much to teach us. We largely remember those years as ones where the hatred between both sides ended as soon as Hitler's regime fell but that was simply not so. History is more complicated than we sometimes recall, but a lot more interesting!
Thanks again.
-- Andrei