Barbara Jean Gottorff

The Only Paradise Barbara Jean Gottorff

Ursula Blöhe, a German school teacher, welcomed an American acquaintance and her college roommate to East Berlin during their travel abroad in the summer of 1967. The roommate, Barbara Jean Gray, encouraged Ursula to exchange letters to practice their German and English respectively.

From 1967 until her death in 2000, Ursula wrote to Barbara about growing up in post-WWI Germany, the effects of WWII on her family, living in East Berlin when the Berlin Wall went up in 1961, and the changes she experienced after the Wall came down in 1989. Ursula's letters, mostly in German, tell the story of an endearing and enduring friendship and offer rare insight into life behind the Iron Curtain.

Barbara selected and translated this collection of the letters prior to her own death in 2020. Her Prologue, footnotes and Epilogue provide historical context and personal background. Images of the actual handwritten correspondence and numerous photographs have been added to Barbara's original manuscript to enliven the translations and enhance the authenticity of this unique epistolary memoir.