This Audio Story swept me away to 1862 with its descriptive writing, and the narrator brought the history and characters to life. The plot is full of historical Civil War events along with the culture of the day. You find love, courage and human compassion amidst the war, hate, and pride. I was so swept away that I listened to this book in one day.
Thank you to NetGalley and American Legacy Media for the opportunity to listen to the audible book in exchange for my opinion.

A moving piece of family history that brings the story of a German immigrant woman and her experiences during the American Civil War to life.

Anna Pauls Itgen Whitstruck arrived in America from Hanover, Germany, with her family in the 1840s and eventually settled in Charleston, South Carolina. Her life became intertwined with the Civil War, including the surrender of Fort Sumter and her efforts to help two Union prisoners. What makes her story particularly compelling is that she continued helping them despite the danger involved. She was eventually discovered and faced execution, but her honesty ultimately spared her life.

I found her motivation especially interesting: she believed that she would have helped the same people regardless of which side of the country she had been living on. Her story also becomes deeply personal as she experiences loss, including the death of her first husband during the war.

The writing itself is straightforward and easy to follow, and I appreciated how thoroughly researched the book appears to be. The author’s notes and bibliography add credibility and provide a useful foundation for the historical events being discussed. More than anything, I enjoyed seeing a lesser-known personal story used to illuminate such a complicated period in American history.

This was a touching and worthwhile read, particularly for anyone interested in personal accounts of the Civil War and the experiences of immigrants during that period. It’s a reminder of how valuable individual stories can be when preserving history and preventing it from being forgotten or distorted.

Thank you to NetGalley and American Legacy Media for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

NetGalley ARC review: What a truly special story. I often read the Author’s Note, especially when the book is non-fiction or based on a true story. This story of a courageous young widow who selflessly helped what was considered enemies to her “country” (at this time, South Carolina had seceded from the US) and even go as far as to let them hide in her cellar until they could safely run away was actually the great-grandmother of the author. While the dialogue and interactions between the characters is a conjecture on the author’s part, the premise and story are completely true. Anna really was a German immigrant whose husband fought for the confederacy and was killed in action. She really did feed and clothe union prisoners of war that were stationed right outside her and her parents apartment and hide/aid escaped prisoners. She fortunately wasn’t hanged after it was found out that she had committed treason, and after the war moved up north with her young son to start over. What a testimony of selfless humanity in a time of which humanity was VERY hard to find!

Sehr bewegende Geschichte aus dem Alltag einer mutigen Frau während des Sezessionskrieges - liebevoll vertont.
Setzt all den mutigen Menschen ein Denkmal, deren Geschichte im Verborgenen geblieben ist.
Manchmal ist das echte Leben spannender als jede Fiktion!
Gibt einen guten Einblick in das Leben während einer dunklen Zeit in den USA.

An interesting historical nonfiction audiobook! Set in Charleston in 1861, Anna Itgen was only 20, newly married and expecting her first baby when the Civil War turned her life upside down.

After her husband was killed, Anna, a single mother tried to survive while a Confederate prison filled with starving Union prisoners was just outside her front door.

Anna started secretly sharing food with the prisoners and guards, but things got much more dangerous when she hid an escaped Union officer in her cellar.

Anna's courage and her willingness to help an unknown enemy soldier knowing she could pay the ultimate price was a major storyline.

RC Duffy is the great-granddaughter of the main character and did an excellent job retelling her ancestor’s story. Emily Thiel's narration was a great fit for the story.

Thank you to the author, American Legacy Media, and NetGalley for a complimentary ebook. All opinions are my own.