Jack’s Daughter: Growing Up German in World War II Broken Hill

Growing up during World War II was tough, especially if you lived on the wrong side of the mines that divided the Silver City of Broken Hill. If you were a girl? And German? You needed plenty of spirit!

Broken Hill had a spirit all its own: smart enough to exclude outsiders from the big bucks; strong enough to stop miners drinking beer for months when there was a point to be made; stubborn enough to force cinemas to lift their game. Tough housewives dictated the prices shops could charge. Beneath it all lay the cruelty of war. And a secret.

Jack’s Daughter is the true story of the indomitable Maisie Schuster, who struggled to escape the town, a controlling mother and, later, an alcoholic husband. Her father Jack died when Maisie was just nine, but his memory and voice remained her compass for the rest of her life.