Post World War II Germany was Mary Hanford's world as a young American girl. She was the "fly on the wall" witness to events designed to take down the Krupp empire, which had been major money behind Hitler. Her lawyer father was part of the team that took over the Krupp mansion -- Villa Hugel -- where behind-the-scenes efforts were coordinated to, frankly, extract justice on Krupp. Mary had virtual free run of the massive mansion known as Villa Hugel, including access to the one-of-a-kind swimming pool beneath the floors where secret strategies were formulated. Neither The German or American publics ever were told what really took place during that effort, which ultimately was a disaster of historic proportions due to a senior American official who had personally known Krupp and Hitler, and not in an unfriendly way.As much as this is a revealing of previously hidden history, it is the compelling telling by the author of her philosophical coming of age living with multiple nationalities, and attending international schools, even enduring caning while attending a school for British children. Already known for her "word portraits" in her poetry, which has been published in various countries, and in her magnificent first novel,Dr. Sally's Voodoo Man, laced with beautifully crisp word images. As a lady considered a senior citizen by age, she is emerging as one of America's all-around talented writers of literature.This is the debut release of the English language edition of Swimming at Villa Hugel. The German language edition launched in October 2013 in Essen, Germany.