Finding Happiness in America

Anneros Valensi grew up in East Germany during World War II where the family had to live under cruel Russian occupancy. Then her family was evicted to West Germany in 1946. They arrived in a ruined, bombed-out country with nothing but the clothes on their backs. The main thing Valensi remembers about this time is her gnawing hunger, fear of war, and the trauma of an unsettled life.

Valensi chronicles her childhood and adolescence -and her initial, entrancing glimpse of the West -in the first volume of her powerful memoir: Where Is Home? How a Childhood in East Germany during World War II Shaped My Life.

Now, she continues the story with Finding Happiness in America: How My Adopted Country Healed my Life. You will feel Valensi's fascination with American culture when she first lands in New York City. Valensi's narrative begins as an international adventure then turns into a powerful love story about soul mates and the joys of motherhood. Along the way, Valensi expresses thanks for her adopted country and the many opportunities life gave her.

Valensi's work showcases her infectious and unstoppable optimism. She has faced many challenges in her life, but she instinctively knows that the only way to overcome them is to seize every opportunity and appreciate every day.