It began with a letter from a screenwriter, asking about a story. Your family. World War II. Nazi spies.
Christine Kuehn was shocked and confused. When she asked her
seventy-year-old father, Eberhard, what this could possibly be about, he
stalled, deflected, demurred, and then wept. He knew this day would
come.
The Kuehns, a prominent Berlin family, saw the rise of the
Nazis as a way out of the hard times that had befallen them. When the
daughter of the family, Eberhard’s sister, Ruth, met Nazi leader Joseph
Goebbels at a party, the two hit it off, and they had an affair. But
Ruth had a secret—she was half Jewish—and Goebbels found out. Rather
than having Ruth killed, Goebbels instead sent the entire Kuehn family
to Hawaii, to work as spies half a world away. There, Ruth and her
parents established an intricate spy operation from their home, just a
few miles down the road from Pearl Harbor, shielding Eberhard from the
truth. They passed secrets to the Japanese, leading to the devastating
attack on Pearl Harbor. After Eberhard’s father was arrested and tried
for his involvement in planning the assault, Eberhard learned the harsh
truth about his family and faced a decision that would change the path
of the Kuehn family forever.
Jumping back and forth between
Christine discovering her family’s secret and the untold past of the
spies in Germany, Japan, and Hawaii, Family of Spies is fast-paced history at its finest and will rewrite the narrative of December 7, 1941.
About The Author
Christine Kuehn was cocooned in the sanctity of a quiet suburban life when a letter from a historian in 1994 pierced that bubble, sending her on a thirty-year quest to discover the truth behind a horrendous family secret kept hidden for half a century. Following a career in journalism, public relations, and nonprofits, Christine now lives in Maryland with her husband, close to their three grown children.
My Review
What an emotional work for this author, her heart on a plate, so personal!
This is a book with years of research involved for the author, and she took each piece and gave us this book. I soon became a part of her life, and she shared it beautifully, and at times it is so painful! Whom would want to acknowledge that her family was responsible for, at the time, the worst disaster, attack on US soil?
Through her research we see what led up to this family and their support for their homeland, and them with the Axis, Japan.
I loved she found family, and put some closure on a blight in her family, and actually learning more facts, that she shares.
This is a must read, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and appreciate all the time and energy she put forth.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Celadon Books, and was not required to give a positive review.
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