Aurora

About the Book

“Aurora” is the story of a young school teacher from rural Alabama who ventured to New York where she fell in love with a romantic, young gentleman from old German aristocracy. They marry, have two children, and take a steamer to Germany. In Germany Aurora discovers she is married to an agent engaged in espionage against her country. After a difficult divorce, she gains custody of her children and reestablishes herself within the employment of the American Consulate in Hamburg. In 1941, when the Consulate expelled all employees prior to the U.S. declaration of war against Germany, Aurora leaves for Portugal via Frankfurt with her two children. In route, she is confronted by Gestapo agents and her children are abducted. She returns to Hamburg to fight for the return of her children. With the assistance of a Nazi friend, she locates her children and remains in Hamburg until July 1943 when her home was totally destroyed by the fire storm that killed nearly 45,000 civilians and reduced most of the city to rubble. Aurora’s memoir recounts struggles to keep her children and survive the bombardment during Operation Gomorrah.

About the Author

K. F. Ritter was born in New York City but spent her early childhood in Germany under siege during WW II. After the war, she returned to the United States with her mother and brother and settled in Tallahassee, FL. She received her B.S. from Florida State University in art and education, and an M.S. in Library Science from Louisiana State University. She taught art in military base schools and in Florida. For most of her career she served as director of science and technical libraries for NASA and the Navy Department. She is retired and resides with her husband in McLean, Virginia near their two married children.