By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

hardship and hope

Book tells love story of local author’s parents in war-torn Europe during WWII period

May 27, 2022 | 1:03 PM

A Red Deer author hopes his recently published book will spread a message of hope, despite dealing with a very difficult part of history.

Bill Franz’s book, entitled Mutti and Papa: A Love Story, deals with his parents, who grew up in eastern Europe in the 1930s.

Franz’s mutti and papa (mother and father in German) were raised in what is now Ukraine, and were of German descent. Mennonite refugees, Ella and Johann eventually attempted to flee the war-torn continent. Partial proceeds from book sales are going to a humanitarian relief fund for Ukraine, he shares.

“Another message I hope to convey is that war is hell and that civilians suffer the most. My father volunteered as an interpreter with the German army after his father and uncles were taken away into forced labour by the Soviets, a fate my 16-year-old father narrowly avoided,” says Franz.

“My parents met in a refugee camp after the war. My mom sailed for Canada first and then my dad found out his application was rejected. This part of their story is told through their letters to each other, over the course of almost a year. There was a happy ending for them, though.”

no flag or crosswalk requests received

Didsbury citizens' group vehemently opposed to proposed 'Public Spaces Neutrality Bylaw'

Mar 20, 2026

makin' stuff up!

Thurber improv team wins regionals, will head to Ottawa

Mar 20, 2026

travel occurred march 10

Measles exposure reportedly travelled from Calgary to Red Deer, Edmonton and Grande Prairie

Mar 20, 2026

Franz admits writing the book was difficult, at times, because he struggles with what he calls ‘German guilt.’

“Not only do I tell my parents’ story, it’s also how I respond to that story, in particular, my father’s service in the German army. I don’t want to trigger memories for other people that have suffered, or whose families have suffered,” he says. “That does probably mean all of us in some fashion, through intergenerational trauma. I also had a really tough editor, who challenged me to go deeper.”

Mutti and Papa is available at Chapters and Cafe Vero in Eastview, or online through Friesen Press and Amazon.