The greatest Wilhelm Gustloff archivist was undoubtedly Mr. Heinz Sch?n. Mr. Sch?n served as assistant purser on the Gustloff, witnessed and survived the sinking, and devoted much of his life to documenting the disaster. Heinz Sch?n passed away in 2013. At his request, his remains were taken to the bottom of the Baltic Sea to rest upon the sunken Gustloff. He is gone but his legacy and research remain a gift to us all.
I am grateful to the following Wilhelm Gustloff survivors who throughout the years have bravely given several very detailed interviews about their experience: Ulrich von Domarus; Irene Tshinkur East; Heidrun Gloza; Waltraud Lilischkis; Ellen Tschinkur Maybee; Eva Merten; Rose Rezas Petrus; Helga Reuter; Inge Bendrich Roedecker; Eva Dorn Rothchild; Willi Sch?fer; Edith Spindl; Peter Weise; Horst Woit.
Several people agreed to be interviewed for this project but requested to remain anonymous. Revisiting tragedy chisels the heart. They subjected themselves to the discomfort of painful memory for the sake of this novel and I am eternally grateful.
Acknowledgments
Many writers create and succeed on their own. I am not one of them.
My incredible agent, Steven Malk, guides and inspires my every step. I could not dream of a better mentor and friend.
Liza Kaplan, my tireless editor, and Michael Green, my brilliant publisher, devoted years to this novel and the associated journey. They are my heroes. Thank you to Shanta Newlin, Theresa Evangelista, Semadar Megged, Talia Benamy, Katrina Damkoehler, and my Philomel family for giving history a voice and my stories a home.
None of this would be possible without the beautiful people at Philomel, SPEAK, Penguin Young Readers Group, all of the Penguin field reps, Writers House, and SCBWI.
My sincere gratitude to my wonderful foreign publishers, sub-agents, and translators for sharing my words with the world.
The hands and heart of Courtney C. Stevens have touched every page of this novel.
My writing group sees everything first: Sharon Cameron, Amy Eytchison, Rachel Griffith, Howard Shirley, and Angelika Stegmann. Thank you for ten years of dedication and friendship. I couldn’t do it without you and would never want to.
Fred Wilhelm and Lindsay Kee helped me spark the title and Ben Horslen contributed across the ocean.
Yvonne Seivertson, Niels Bye Nielsen, Claus Pedersen, Mike Cortese, Gavin Mikhail, Beth Kephart, Genetta Adair, Ken Wright, Tamra Tuller, the Rockets, JW Scott, Steve Vai, the Lithuanian and Baltic communities, the Polish community, the Myerses, the Reids, the Smiths, the Tuckers, the Peales, and the Sepetyses all contributed to my writing efforts.
Heartfelt thanks to my biggest supporters—the teachers, librarians, and booksellers. And most of all, my sincere thanks to the readers. I appreciate each and every one of you.
Mom and Dad taught me to dream big and love even bigger.
John and Kristina are my champions and the best friends a little sister could ask for.
And Michael: his love gives me the courage and the wings. He is my everything.