“The Last Bridge: Her Own True Story, Elvera Ziebart Reuer” by Marjorie Knittel
"The Last Bridge: Her Own True Story, Elvera Ziebart Reuer” is the story of the journey and evolution of a young woman caught up in the events of history. Forces beyond her control tear her life apart again and again. It is her courage, faith and tenacity that carry her and her family through both good times and bad. Eva’s story begins in Bessarabia.
Eva, the youngest child in her family, wants nothing more than to stay in her quiet village and take care of her parents as they age. However, she comes of age in the midst of a Russian civil war. The Bolsheviks do not care for the German minority that’s lived within their country for 150 years. As they gain in power, Eva, her family and her fellow villagers are forced to flee for their lives, leaving the village they built in Glueckstahl behind.
They return to a vilage in Moldavia, which they’d left ten years before. Eva’s parents die shortly thereafter. Eva considers her choices; then moves forward to build a new life, a life filled with joy and heartache. She falls in love with a young man. Their future is cut short when he is required to leave their village and fight in WWI. He dies in the war; and Eva must start over again. She does so successfully, moving once again. However, conflict again comes to Eva’s door, as her village is caught in the midst of two expanding nation states.
The remainder of the “The Last Bridge…” follows the experiences and choices Eva, now a widow, and her family must make as their home is occupied by the Russian army, they are confronted with the choice of remaining under a hostile occupation or being resettled by Nazis, the advent and conclusion of World War II, and ends just as a new chapter of their lives is beginning.
The book documents her mindset and actions through resettlement, refugee status, bouts of homelessness and flight through the war zone to the west, sometimes contrasting it with the mindsets and actions of those around her. It isn’t as much about the history Eva lived through, as it is a story of human resilience in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds.
I highly recommend reading “The Last Bridge: Her Own True Story, Elvera Ziebart Reuer” by Marjorie Knittel. It’s a glimpse into the lives of citizens building lives in the midst of changing human events. It’s also a story that provides insight into the lives of civilians caught up in the horror and chaos of war, which makes it relevant for today.
If you enjoy the book, then I also recommend reading its sequel “A Distant Promise: A New Beginning” by Elvera Ziebart Reuer with Glaphry Duff.
Contact me if you are interested in learning more about the history and culture of Germans who came from Russia. Many resources are available. I’d love to connect you with those resources.
If you’d like to learn more about your own story, give me a call and lets talk.
