The true story of a Canadian family caught behind enemy lines in WWII and a mother’s longing to bring her family home.
A Trip To Germany
“In that year (1939) they decided to make a trip to Germany, where Werner’s mother is still living, in Hamburg. They did not sell their land, as this trip was intended as a visit rather than a migration. They sailed on the ship Hansa from New York. Ten days after their arrival in Hamburg, World War II broke out.” Jacob Ulmer 1956
L'histoire suit une séquence chronologique d'événements décrivant la vie et l'époque d'une famille canadienne malheureuse, les Rudeloff, qui ont quitté leur ferme en Alberta et se sont rendus en Allemagne à la veille de la Seconde Guerre mondiale.
Idéalement, un bon mémoire doit être structuré de manière attrayante et logique, et Mandy y est parvenue. La mémoire ne suffit pas. Dans cette histoire, vous trouverez du suspense, des personnages forts et une narration claire.
Comme toute bonne histoire, il y a un début, un milieu et une fin, et il doit y avoir un dénouement. Ce livre atteint cet objectif.
La voix de l'auteur est fraîche et authentique lorsqu'elle raconte son expérience d'enfance dans l'Allemagne en temps de guerre.
PRIX DU LIVRE INDÉPENDANT DE WHISTLER
French 
English
Javier Leffers –
This memoir touched me deeply. The Longing doesn’t just tell a WWII story; it makes you feel the heartache, hope, and courage of a family living through it. Betty’s resilience is unforgettable, and the book reminded me how war changes not just nations, but homes and hearts. Truly moving.
Larry Whaley –
This is what they are saying about Dorothy Mandy and The Longing:
A wartime memoir written with emotional clarity, a Canadian family trapped in a world they never intended to be a part of, and an author whose life experience practically screams “someone finally wrote history from the real people’s view.” That’s what makes The Longing not just another World War II book, but a story that feels like it chose its own author. Dorothy Mandy clearly knew how to give history a human face without turning it into a lecture. And the deeper you read, the more you realize this book carries real testimony, real family, real tension, and the kind of truth you won’t find in typical war stories that forget how ordinary people lived through extraordinary chaos.
Dorothy Mandy herself has a background that explains why she writes with such empathy. Advocating for women’s rights, helping build a refuge for battered women and children, working with a Sexual Assault Centre, representing women nationally, serving her community, and carrying a unique immigrant heritage, it’s no surprise she managed to document the life of a family navigating war with intelligence, spirit, and resilience. Not many authors can connect personal identity, culture, activism, and historical reality in a way that respects real people and makes you want more.