It has been said that home is where the heart is. For many,
it is the place where they were born and raised, but for St. Petersburg writer Brigitte
D. Moore, it was the culmination of a journey that spanned 21 years, an ocean,
and two continents. Born in Breslau, which was then part of Germany, Moore was
forced to flee with her family during the final throes of WWII. She chronicles
the story of her life as a refugee in her memoir, Finding Home – My Journey
from Post-War Germany to America.
Moore immigrated to America in 1958. She settled in New York
City where she first took a job at Columbia University. Later, she went to work
for a German import/export company, rising through the ranks from clerk to
Vice-President of Product Development. She also married and had two children.
In 1989, after a series of personal tragedies, Moore decided to move to Florida.
“I had experienced three deaths three years in a row,” Moore recalls. “I was
suffering from burnout and needed a change.”
Moore started writing as a way to communicate with her two
grandsons, Christopher and Thomas. “Life during the war was so strange in my
mind,” she says. “I wanted to write about it so my grandchildren would know
what it was like. I started writing little vignettes after they were born. I
planned to make copies and give them to my grandsons. I never planned to write
a book.”
Because of the upheaval of life as a refugee, Moore was not
able to obtain a formal education. An avid reader, she learned English
when she decided to immigrate to America. “I took a few college courses while I
was working at Columbia, and I discovered I had a talent for writing,” she
says. “In my importer/exporter job, I had to write letters, press releases,
ads, brochures, but I didn’t know how to center on a story and find the right
flow.”
Fortunately, Moore mentioned her writing to Sunny Fader, a
friend who happened to be a writing coach. “When Sunny heard my story, she was
impressed,” Moore explains. “She offered to coach me, so I began bringing her
my pages. Sunny would make suggestions and I’d re-write. She was a wonderful
mentor, and the book would never have happened without her.” According to
Fader, “What drew me to help Brigitte,
even before I saw her material, was her passion for the project. But it is the
subject of her book that kept me enthusiastic. Her book opened a window into a
part of World War II history I knew nothing about. Add to that the remarkable
grit it took for the young woman to turn around her destroyed life, to make a
new future for herself in the United States. It is not surprising that this
book resonates with so many people."
Moore hopes Finding Home will help readers understand what
the civilian population in Germany went through during those tumultuous war
years. “It shows, in a positive way, my struggle to find a place I could call
home. I felt I did not belong anywhere, but I had dreams. I wanted to be a teacher,
to play the piano. I always wonder what might have been.”
Moore has been invited to speak about her book and her experiences at many libraries and civic clubs. Encouraged by the
positive response to Finding Home, Moore has joined a critique group and is planning to continue her writing.
“My spiritual journey began in Florida, and I want to write about that,” she
says. “I want readers to see that no matter what life gives you, there is
always a way to go on. There are helping hands that reach out to you if you’re
open to receive them. Life is beautiful.”
For more information about Finding Home, visit Moore’s
website at www.brigittedmoore.wordpress.com
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