AUBURN, Maine, March 31, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- With the release of Fire Burn, readers around the world will discover the remarkable story of author, Irene Zarina White, who survived the destruction and rage of ruthless regimes during World War II. Readers will be absorbed by the account of this young professional woman's bravery and resilience in the face of extreme danger and disruption to normal everyday life.
Based on diaries kept by the author, Fire Burn tells in vivid detail the events that happened in Latvia and Germany between September 1939 and May 1946. Just two days after her graduation from the University of Latvia the Soviet Union invaded her country, inflicting chaos and destruction. Irene and her mother "escaped" to Germany where they survived four terrifying years of Nazi oppression, injustice, bombing, and hunger. Within a six-year span they lived under four different governments: the Republic of Latvia, the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, and the United States Occupation.
Thanks to her education, Irene was hired as a research chemist (a rare occupation for a woman) to assist in the production of synthetic rubber - crucial to the German war effort. This job enabled her to support her mother and herself -- but the situation was extremely difficult. Not only did they suffer from hunger and cold, they experienced the terror of daily bombing raids, and the tension and suspicion endemic to a police state. Miraculously, the author and her mother survived and at the end of the war, Irene was hired by the U.S. Army as a secretary.
Readers will appreciate the core message of the book - that it is always peaceful and innocent civilians who are most victimized by war. In addition they will be amazed by the remarkable variety of individuals who became astonishingly candid in Irene's presence. One memorable encounter with an undercover Gestapo officer occurs on a crowded train. He shares his vision of the final victory of the German race while exhorting her to contribute by producing properly Nordic children immediately. (It is completely immaterial to him that she is single!)
People with an interest in Latvia, Estonia, and World War II, as well as lovers of biography and history will want a copy of Fire Burn. To order this riveting book visit www.Xlibris.com
About the Author
Irene Zarina White started a diary in 1939, while studying chemical engineering at the University of Latvia. She graduated with a Master's degree in 1940, the only female among 150 students. Two days later, the Soviet Union invaded Latvia. She fled to Germany, where she survived years of Nazi oppression. In 1946, she met a young American scientist, Dr. Merit Penniman White, who had previously worked with Albert Einstein. They were married within a year. In 1949, they moved to Whately, Massachusetts, where they continued their careers, while raising three daughters - Irene teaching Physics at Smith College in Northampton, and Merit becoming a Commonwealth Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Later Irene, while living in Northampton, worked as a research chemist for Johnson and Johnson, in Chicopee Falls, and John H. Breck (subsequently American Cyanamid) in Springfield, Massachusetts. She returned to teaching (Biochemistry this time) at UMass in 1966, where she earned a second Master's degree in Languages and Literature. After her retirement she moved to Westerly, Rhode Island in 1982. Irene recently moved to Auburn, Maine and continues to travel and lecture.
Fire Burn by Irene Zarina White
World War II Diaries
Publication Date: March 6, 2006
Trade Paperback; $24.99; 413 pages; 1-59926-348-3
Cloth Hardback; $34.99; 413 pages; 1-59926-349-1
To request a complimentary paperback review copy, contact the publisher at (888) 795-4274 x. 472. Tearsheets may be sent by regular or electronic mail to Marketing Services. To purchase copies of the book for resale, please fax Xlibris at (610) 915-0294 or call (888) 795-4274 x.876.
Xlibris books can be purchased in any major bookstore, or online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders or Xlibris. For more information, contact Xlibris at (888) 795-4274 or on the web at www.Xlibris.com.