Review: You really 'Can't Go Home again".
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 22, 2014
THERE IS NO GOING BACKA Short StoryBySiggy BuckleyIt's 60 years later when  Ingrid and her sister, Rosemary, return to their hometown of Rugenwalde, now part of Poland. Except for aging and wear and tear, the village looks much the same as on December 5, 1945 when they and their family were forced to flee from it. The sisters are shocked to find that they are unwelcome in their own hometown--because they are German. The owners of the home they once lived in fear that they've come to reclaim their property. "Not easy for them, " explains the cab driver.As they leave, Ingrid remembers her 8th birthday. From that day forward, it was 'not easy," to say the least, for them either. Russian soldiers banged on their door, forcing their way into the house  and shoving a piece of paper at their mother while shouting, "Raus!' ('Out)", over and over. After they leave, the five children surround their mother in fear. Their father has not been back since the outbreak of the war. The family is evicted, given one day to pack only what they can carry, then leave--on their journey to hell.Neighbors given the same notice fill the roads the next day, carrying what few belongings and food they can carry; some are crying, others, stunned. Little do they know the worst is yet to come.Author Siggy Buckley writes a short story based on facts handed down from her family, who experienced some of the horror of the Holocaust days of World War 11. As neighboring towns join the march, she shows readers the fear, torture from the soldiers, rape of the women, starvation, and worst of all, the unknown future. Many were killed, frozen to death or starved before reaching the Polish Camp to await the train. They were part of 12-15 million people on the move from 1945-1947.This heartrending story, part of one of the most infamous genocides in our history, needs to be read by every person on Earth; so we never forget. It's an important reminder of 'man's inhumanity to man," even as wars of hate and terrorism rage today. Author Buckley's account of one family's  experience is everyone's experience. Only Ingrid and Rosemarie were able to return to their homeland--and they were not welcome.Readers impacted by this emotionally painful story will also want to read Siggy Buckley's highly enjoyable novel, "Next Time Lucky: How to Find Your Mr. Right."Micki Peluso, reviewer and author of . . . And the Whippoorwill Sang