Bahamian-German author to speak at East Hampton Public Library, Sept. 21

      THE EAST HAMPTON LIBRARY HOSTS AWARD-WINNING “AUTHOR WITH A HEALING TOUCH” MARINA GOTTLIEB SARLES FOR SPEAKING SERIES:

      One brave Bahamian-German novelist brings her ancestors’ stories and journals to life--and offers remembrance and hope to readers worldwide. Sheds new light on role of women and the rarely discussed “Forgotten Holocaust” of the Romani Peoples and “Great Trek” out of East Prussia during World War II.

   East Hampton, NY: On Saturday, September 21 from 2-3 p.m., The East Hampton Library Author Talks series will host the author of The Last Daughter of Prussia (Wild River Books), Marina Gottlieb Sarles. 

      The Last Daughter of Prussia chronicles through fiction the desperate final months of World War II in the frequently ignored region of East Prussia, where the “Great Trek” claimed the lives of nearly half a million women, children and men. Marina is the daughter of German immigrants who escaped Nazi Germany at the end of World War II by swimming across the Rhine River with guns firing at their backs. 

“The East Hampton Library is extremely grateful to Ms. Sarles, [Marina] for spending the time to share her compelling story of courage and survival during a dark piece of history, World War II,” says Steven Spataro, Head of Adult Reference at the East Hampton Library.

      Based on true family stories passed down from her grandparents, author Marina reveals a too-often forgotten side of World War II that resonates strongly today:
--the strength of women who worked to save their families
--the silenced stories of East Prussian women (many of whom endured and witnessed systematic rape)
--the untold suffering of Romani peoples in concentration camps
--the grief of survival, for many, who finally escaped during the harrowing months at the end of World War II, would never return to the land they loved.

      Marina has gained a reputation for spellbinding readings and has moved audiences from all over the world by airing the overwhelming legacy of postwar grief, as well as the physical and psychological toll of all long-silenced painful family memories. 

      Here’s what audiences are saying about Marina powerful presence and message: "Marina’s reading was really incredible last night and I want to thank her and acknowledge the healing that I saw. It touched me and I am struck with the power of it all and the way that people could open up (to) their most vulnerable places most probably long held in their hearts,” says Long Island resident, Louise Stalzer, who attended one of Gottlieb Sarles’ most recent events.

      Wild River Books is an outgrowth of the online literary magazine Wild River Review and brings the finest literary voices to print through traditional and digital formats. For interview requests and review coverage: Please contact Kim Nagy: 609-903-3038 or kim@kimnagy.com