Their Story Matters with Sara Troy and her guest Giselle Roeder. On air from August.
Giselle’s Memoir developed into a trilogy. As stated in Nanaimo Magazine, “Giselle had one hell of a life.” It was impossible to fit into an ordinary book without becoming one with a thousand pages. Smiling, Giselle says, the book title could be “The Nine Lives of Gila.”
The first book, “We Don’t Talk About That,” is a riveting story of surviving WWII and its aftermath. It reads more like history rather than a memoir. It begins after WWI and outlines changes in the social makeup of many European countries, particularly post-war Germany. Unemployment and staggering inflation, where half a loaf of bread cost billions and two beers a mere one-hundred billion led to the rise of Adolf Hitler, an Austrian man. He promised work and bread and kept his promises. The following years brought an upswing in life but also carried Germany into WWII. The invasion of Eastern Germany by the Russian army brought horror with unspeakable atrocities to ordinary people. Most survivors’ attitude is “we don’t talk about that.”
Gila’s life turned tragic when the fighting approached her neighbourhood. Rape, murder and hunger were part of everyday life. The Russians took her father and every 16 to 60-year-old non-disabled person to Siberia. The rest of the population, including Gila’s mother and her siblings, were evicted. They joined the trek of thousands on the road to nowhere.’ Gila was witness to gruesome acts of violence, aging her beyond her years. She barely survived diphtheria while on the road. Months later, recovering from typhoid fever, she took responsibility for her three siblings while her mother worked. Despite her interrupted schooling due to circumstances beyond her control, Gila’s determination enabled her to become a Physical Education teacher. Gila lived the first ten years of her life under the Nazis and her teenage years under communist rule. Germany’s division into East and West, with its political ramifications, forced her to escape to West Germany. Gila’s story is one of heartache, courage, pain, love, and longing for liberation.
The second book, “Flight Into The Unknown,” deals with Gila’s life in the West. She came across an ad placed by a former German man living in Canada. He looked for a new mommy for his four-year-old daughter. Intrigued, she wrote a reply, never expecting a response. A large envelope with several ‘Beautiful British Columbia’ magazines, a letter, and photographs arrived. The Canadian man’s father, a lawyer, called. “My son is not a fly-by-night. ” Gila visited the lawyer’s family. Three months later, she got ‘engaged’ by telephone. While on holiday, the lawyer and his wife organized the wedding without ever asking Gila.
Gila did not know how to disentangle herself. She left Germany seven months after answering the ad and immigrated to Vancouver, Canada. She soon realized she had made the biggest mistake of her life. Her husband used her money to pay his debts. Gila had been blinded by his well-to-do parents, thinking, ‘the apple does not fall far from the tree.’ She made the best of it and took English classes, feeling lost without mastering the language. Five months later, they moved to Winnipeg. Gila welcomed a second stepdaughter and gave birth to a son the same year. The baby kept the family together. After a bankruptcy, Gila lost her drive for life and faced suicide. She couldn’t do it because of her little boy. Her husband told her, “Their mother left the girls, and if you do that, you’ll ruin them for life.” Trials and tribulations were constant companions. After twenty years of marriage, raising the kids, and finally succeeding in her own business, the husband had an affair, leading to a nasty divorce. Gila lost everything and moved back to Vancouver, hoping to start a new life. Coming September 15th
“Set Sail for Life After 50,” the trilogy’s final book, deals with being single again and new beginnings. This book is a work in progress. To follow
Content Warning: This story contains accounts of horrific cruelty inflicted upon East German civilians. Although these painful truths need to be heard, some details may be deeply disturbing. Please listen with care.
| ITunes | SPotify+Video | Soundcloud |
| Amazon | Youtube Music | iHEART |
| Podvine | Podcasher | Podcast Addict |
| Mixcloud | Radio Public. | FM Player |
| Odysee | Youtube | BusyMumsmedia |
| DO ENJOY THE WISDOM | Thanks for listening | Feedspot |
Giselle Roeder is the author of four books: two about healthy living, followed by “Forget Me Not,” A Bouquet of Stories, Thoughts, and Memories about people who influenced her life, and last but not least, the memoir that went around the world:
“We Don’t Talk About That” – covering the riveting story of surviving WW II during her first thirty years.
Giselle sequel, writing about her life in Canada. Following her emigration to Canada in 1963, Giselle succeeded in business, was interviewed on radio stations across the country, hosted her own Television Show for 9 years, and became well-known as an international public speaker in the developing field of alternative health.
Today, she will tell us about her life under different political systems:
Ten years as a child under Nazi rule –
Ten years as a teenager growing up in Communist East Germany –
Her life as a young adult in Capitalist West Germany after she escaped from East Germany.
linkedin.com/in/giselle-roeder
smashwords.com/profile/view/GiselleRoeder
FIND ALL OUR INSPIRING SHOWS HERE
Discover the sites we share on linktr.ee/saratroy
BE OUR GUEST AND SHARE THE WISDOM
Self Discovery Wisdom is sustained by those who believe in conscious conversation. If this episode resonated with you, subscribe and, if you feel called, make a donation. Your support helps us keep amplifying voices that inspire growth, courage, and compassion. Thank you. Please join Our Forgotten Seniors anthology and help to bring this book to awareness.
You must be logged in to post a comment.