'Behind the Smile: Orphaned by Hitler's Madness' to Be Featured in Book Fair

Massachusetts

"Lebensborn" literally means "spring of life" in antiquated German. To historians, this name meant an unbelievable terror, a project founded by SS leader Heinrich Himmler designed to cultivate the Aryan race by supporting children that were considered racially pure. To PRK Brenner, Lebensborn came to mean a dark fragment of his past, he was one of the children taken into Hitler's breeding program. In his new book, "Behind the Smile: Orphaned by Hitler's Madness," Brenner remembers how a horrifying and little known episode of history started his journey to self-discovery and, ultimately, healing.

Brenner was born in Germany on the winter of 1944. His mother, an unwed 17-year-old Norwegian girl, unknowingly became part of the notorious Lebensborn Program. After the fall of the Third Reich, the young Brenner was adopted by an American Air Force Chaplain and his wife. Although he mostly forgot his childhood in Nazi Germany, he could not fully escape the life he had before his adoption.

While growing up, Brenner felt haunted by the mystery of his past. It was only when he finally decided to find out what happened that he was able to overcome it.

"It wasn't until I found the courage to face the unknown mysteries woven together by people, places and programs that healing could eventually take place. All the intertwining circumstances influenced my life, opened my eyes and helped me make peace with my inner spirit," he says.

With honesty and courage, Brenner guides readers on a journey from pain to healing, loss to redemption and from guilt to peace. Deeply moving and eye-opening, "Behind the Smile: Orphaned by Hitler's Madness" is all at once a window into a world unseen to most people and a powerful journey of identity and healing. Above all, it is a triumphant testament to the indomitable human spirit.

"Behind the Smile: Orphaned by Hitler's Madness" will be featured at the 2014 California Library Association Book Exhibit in Oakland, CA, which will run September 26, 2014. For more information, log on to http://www.Xlibris.com.

About the Author
PRK Brenner was born in Germany during World War II. He was adopted by an Air Force Chaplain and his wife. As a military dependent, he spent his school years moving across states and studying overseas. His two years of graduate school were spent at the University of Maryland, Munich Branch in Germany. He transferred stateside to attend Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts where he completed and received a Bachelor of Science in Speech, majoring in radio and television broadcasting.

Brenner earned a Master of Divinity degree from Hartford Seminary Foundation and a Doctor of Ministry from Chicago Theological Seminary. As a parish minister of over 40 years, he has served in five congregational churches in four different states. He is married to Bonnie and they are the proud parents of two grown sons, Erik and Tim. He and his wife retired to Cape Cod and now live in Chatham, Massachusetts.

Behind the Smile: Orphaned by Hitler's Madness * by PRK Brenner
Trade Paperback; $15.99; 201 pages; 9781465368188
Trade Hardback; $22.99; 201 pages; 9781465368195
e-book; $3.99; 9781465368201

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