View from the Veranda

View from the Veranda by Alex Gurba is based on true stories of life during authoritarian European regimes during the 1914-1950 period.


In the English language, a small shelter attached to a house is referred to as a porch, derived from the Latin word porta, meaning passage. The direct German translation is veranda. The view from the veranda encompasses the entire frontal landscape and when the door of the house opens, one may catch a glimpse of the private lives of those who call this place home.


The concept of home is universal. It is a personal sanctuary that transforms a simple structure or plot of land into a haven, creating pride in the roots that keep one grounded, linking family with community.


This novel is about such a home, based on true stories of Reinhold Zerbst, his family and his plot of land. It follows their struggles and triumphs living on a farm governed by the Imperial German Empire, then annexed by the Second Polish Republic, invaded by the Nazis and finally overrun by Russian Communists.


Follow an ethnic German family as they persevere through this turbulent period in history, searching for the freedom that so many hold dear.