Mila Schoneman survived the greatest atrocity of the twentieth century and is now old, widowed and living outside Washington, D.C. She is not a verbal person who could write or even dictate her memories to her niece Andrea, but her past unfolds in her mind through images and scenes that she believes are part of an ongoing “Program” aired in her apartment. They form a powerful stream of mini-dramas, soaps, courtroom scenes, and other entertainments. These she relates to Andrea who, reflecting on their true origin, comes to realize that she herself is part of the same history that has shaped Mila, her family, and her entire generation.
Kathrin Perutz’s Mila’s War is based on the life of her aunt, a survivor of Josef Mengele’s experimental block.
Mila Schoneman survived the greatest atrocity of the twentieth century and is now old, widowed and living outside Washington, D.C. She is not a verbal person who could write or even dictate her memories to her niece Andrea, but her past unfolds in her mind through images and scenes that she believes are part of an ongoing “Program” aired in her apartment. They form a powerful stream of mini-dramas, soaps, courtroom scenes, and other entertainments. These she relates to Andrea who, reflecting on their true origin, comes to realize that she herself is part of the same history that has shaped Mila, her family, and her entire generation.
Kathrin Perutz’s Mila’s War is based on the life of her aunt, a survivor of Josef Mengele’s experimental block.