A compelling novel about five children fleeing homewards in 1945
April 1945: led by Maxe Milk, a group of Berlin school children sent to Pilsen wander through the turmoils of war in the direction of home – among defeated soldiers, colonies of prisoners and refugee treks, cross-country through woods and over fields, on foot, in freight trains, on trucks and horse carts. They see the dead by the side of the road, encounter American soldiers and people who have barricaded themselves in their homes and farms.
When at last they are back home in a Berlin of ruins and rubble, none of them find what they have been dreaming of during their long journey.
The modern classic available again at last.
>> English translation available
Praise for Max’s Gang:
“Baer vividly projects the characters, their relationships, the dangers and hurdles on their way, and the atmosphere of turmoil, without sensationalism, sentimentality, or moralizing. The account makes compelling reading.” Kirkus Review