Journey From The Land Under The Cross

The East German province of Silesia had been home to Germans since 1040 and boasted an extensive German heritage replete with literature, art, and music. It was resettled in the thirteenth century under the great Hedwig and then reverted to Prussia when Frederick the Great won the Seven Years' War in 1763. Despite Prussia's perceived militarism, the province of Silesia offered asylum to refugees to include Huguenots and countless Jews throughout its extensive history. Nestled along the Oder River, Silesia was contested by Germany after World War I by the second Polish Republic and eventually became divided into Lower and Upper Silesia. Those German families forced to flee the province at the height of World War II due to Russia's encroachment assumed they would be able to return once everything settled. Instead, they were expelled, and a new Polish population took over.

Among those German refugees was young Loris and her family, who took what they could and left their home to escape the Russian occupation of Breslau.

In this extraordinary, never-told-before account of life as a refugee, Loris Edwards finally shares her unforgettable story of what life was like growing up in Silesia prior to World War II and how the Russian invasion forever changed the province. From poignant lessons in discipline and integrity and warm visages of cherished holidays to searching for food, work, and survivors, Loris' tales emphasize the indomitable human spirit and the importance of faith and forgiveness in a world wrought with evil.