Can't Take It Away: No One Can Take Away What Is In Your Head

Viewing Annemarie Schnabel's early years, you'd think she was destined for tragedy. Born in Dresden, Germany, in 1926, she and her brother lost their parents before Annemarie turned three.

Raised by their grandmother, the young orphan Schnabels enjoyed a period of happiness, comfort, and international cultural experiences. Sheltered from the brewing hostilities, the two knew little of the country's political unrest until the outbreak of WWII. By the end of that terrible conflict, Annemarie's grandmother was dead, her brother had gone missing in Russia, and Annemarie had suffered through the brutal firebombing of Dresden by the Allied forces.

When peace finally came, Dresden was under Russian rule. Throwing herself into her studies, Annemarie became the first woman in East Germany to earn a master's degree in engineering. This degree and a few personal possessions were all she took when she made a break for freedom, escaping oppressive Soviet rule to forge a new life in the West.

Written in Annemarie Schnabel's own words, The Silver Pistol bears witness to a terrible time in human history, told not from the perspective of soldiers or politicians, but from a courageous and extraordinary young woman who kept going no matter what obstacle she encountered.