Angels in the Darkness

Book excerpt: It is 1936 and Jesse Owens is poised for victory. Berlin is on full display. Hitler is firmly in control. Six-year-old Jutta Bolle relishes Owens's victory and the excitement of the Olympics. But the darkness is already engulfing Jutta's world as her family confronts the evil of Hitler. Each year brings more unimagined hardships and heartbreaks until finally, in 1945, bombs destroy what remains of Berlin and fifteen-year-old Jutta and her father run for their lives. The Russians are coming. In a matter of days Berlin will be surrounded, unleashing a new round of misery. Angels in the Darkness tells the dramatic true story of the Bolles' struggle to survive the tyranny of Hitler's government, a war they did not believe in, and the subsequent brutal occupation of their home and city by the Russians. Ultimately, it is the story of the strength of will over forces beyond our control, and of a young girl's admiration for the Americans who liberate her city, bringing hope and the promise of freedom. About the Author Lisa Farringer Parker is a successful attorney and author. A former professor of writing at Arizona State University, she has appeared on CNN and is a regular contributor to the Arizona Republic. She lives in Paradise Valley, Arizona, with her husband, Vernon B. Parker, the former mayor, and her two children. Jutta Bolle is her mother.