Seeing Through Clouds

Book excerpt: The news of the Hindenburg crash didn't just make Erich Lindemann's miserable day worse. It changed his whole life. Germany, May 1937. Shy, cerebral Erich loves Zeppelins - silver airborne giants that span oceans in a single leap and transport the rich and famous to exotic destinations. Zeppelins also distract Erich from the fact that his best friend has joined the Hitler Youth and that his teachers are pressuring him to submit to the rigid Nazi code. Erich and his ailing mother decide to leave Berlin for the safety of his aunt's farm, only a few miles from the home base of the Zeppelins. Erich's growing mechanical skills fuel the self-confidence he needs to apply to the Zeppelin Company as an apprentice mechanic. Under the guidance of Willi Ganzler, a young mechanic, and Herr Schmidt, the ship's gruff Chief Engineer, Erich helps to build - and then actually fly - the last of the great Zeppelins. On weekends, Erich enjoys riding his motorcycle and mountain climbing with pretty, independent Beate F rster. For Erich, life is good. But as the Nazis gradually insinuate themselves into the crew, Erich finds that he is powerless to prevent them from slowly unraveling the trust and respect that had knit the ship's extended family so closely together. When Willi is arrested by the Nazi secret police, Erich is forced to make a choice that could put his life in the ultimate danger. Paul Lagasse is an award-winning freelance writer and editor whose articles have appeared in local, regional, and national magazines. He and his wife live in Baltimore, Maryland. Seeing Through Clouds is his first novel.