Ralph P. Vander Heide Releases GERMAN LEAVES

The Deutsche Blätter für ein Europäisches Deutschland gegen ein deutsches Europa ranks highest among the numerous exile periodicals which were born between the years 1933 and 1945. Robert Cazden, author of German Exile Literature in America 1933-1950, recognized that "it was often termed one of the finest of all German émigré literary periodicals" and adds his own categorical appraisal: "The Deutsche Blätter represented the best of all German cultural achievement during the emigration..." Marianne Oeste de Bopp pronounced the periodical as being von hohem Niveau (high level), and found it to be far superior to other German émigré magazines published in Latin America.

German Leaves written by Ralph P. Vander Heide, Ph.D. studies and analyzes the mission of the Deutsche Blätter in the political, religious and cultural spheres. It finds the various aspects of the (traditional or preexisting) ever perplexing German Problem and studies new developments with regard to the concept of "new" which arose due to Germany's initiating the Second World War.

Readers will better appreciate this study of one small, but influential resistance effort of World War II, if they first are prepared with some facts concerning the background and reasons for the author's complete revision of this work. It was born as part of Ralph P. Vander Heide's Ph.D. dissertation, which he compiled over a period of three years and finished in l975. For some time, it has seemed to him that the world should be aware of this wonderful little publication, which challenged the Nazis and informed Germans of current truths of the war years, their own history, the humanities and postwar issues. It needs to be universally appreciated for the value of its timeless messages.

It has taken 10 months for Ralph to update, revise, and make the reading of this book a lot smoother. The most difficult part was the translating of all the German passages, which formed a large part of the original. It was required that Ralph follows policy and keeps them only in German in the dissertation. However, it is now his aim to publish a dual language edition so that it can be appreciated by all English speakers in the world today, and not solely by those whose German is adequate. Ralph has made great effort to facilitate comprehension through footnoting, including a glossary, by adding some pertinent information about the Nazis and their victims and by relating personal relationships and experiences with the war years.

German Leaves presents a slice of history, which, although heavy in content, is easy to read. It was Ralph's intention to render lighter a heavy subject in part through clarifying concepts and giving background, beginning with the writing itself.

This book will be featured at the 2013 Frankfurt Book Fair in Frankfurt, Germany, on October 9 - 13, 2013.

For more information on this book, interested parties may log on to http://www.Xlibris.com.

About the Author
Dr Vander Heide has extensive firsthand experience with the subject matter. Ralph holds a Ph.D, in Germanic and Hispanic studies and has taught in colleges and high schools. He studied writing under Brewster Ghiselin at the University of Utah.

German Leaves * by Ralph P. Vander Heide, Ph.D.
Publication Date: January 31, 2013
Trade Paperback; $19.99; 293 pages; 978-1-4797-6789-2
Trade Hardback; $29.99; 293 pages; 978-1-4797-6790-8
eBook; $3.99; 978-1-4797-6791-5

Members of the media who wish to review this book may request a complimentary paperback copy by contacting the publisher at (888) 795-4274 x. 7879. To purchase copies of the book for resale, please fax Xlibris at (812) 355-4079 or call (888) 795-4274 x. 7879.

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