Mia McLeod shares the story of her life, starting in Groningen, the Netherlands, in 1930. The first 10 years describe a happy family: her father was school principal in a small village on the eastern border with Germany and north of the big rivers, the Rhine, Meuse, and Waal; her mother, a teacher turned full-time house wife; her brother and sister. Then followed World War II, with occupation by the Nazis from 1940-1945, and how they survived the hunger winter, 1944-'45. After finishing high school (HBS), she moved from home to study on a scholarship in the US for one year... that turned into five. She describes how she met her husband and their joys and challenges in working and raising their family.
Mia says, "This history is written for my grandchildren in short snapshots, since they kept asking: 'Oma, tell us a story about when you were little,' or 'Tell a story about Dad or Aunt Marieke when they were little.' It also tells about the very interesting village and a time before penicillin was found. This book describes the highlights of my history during peace and war."