One can have dreams but to make them come true many factors play an important role. For me, it has been knowing interesting people in the international community of the World Bank Family Network. Here is how it started….

Many years ago when I had to clear my parent’s home I came across a book typed in 1961 by my father. It was his World War II memoirs, written while we lived in Brazil. In his foreword he mentioned that he had started writing this narrative in July 1944 in a German prison, as a diary, and then he got scared and tore it up lest the Germans get hold of it. Later on, bit-by-bit, he started again with many drawbacks. But as far as possible, he had tried to use the correct names of all those who participated in these events, although many had different names. This intrigued me and made me want to read the continuation. After reading the memoirs I felt that it should be published, and I made it my goal to see its publication. Since my mother’s 100th birthday was in 2009, I thought that this would really make it memorable for her, as she had met my father during the War and played an important role in his survival.

But where should I start? I had no idea where to begin. When discussing with friends at WBFN, where I enjoyed volunteering, they encouraged me to retype the story. Two dear friends, Lois Khairallah and Marianne Summers, very actively involved in WBFN, read and helped me edit the text. Then I learnt from discussions with other friends at WBFN that it was quite easy to have a book published through e-publishing. That motivated me to talk about my dream with a graphic artist, friend that had worked with Mosaic, designing posters and other important material for WBFN, truly professional in her work. I was extremely lucky in meeting Anita Kossoy during her many projects for WBFN. She was also enthusiastic about the memoirs and felt that, as a legacy to future generations, what my father had accomplished during the War, his detailed explanation of what he went through, should not be forgotten.

Anita worked on every detail of the book, the presentation at the beginning of each chapter, the special font for each part of the book. Together we went to bookshops like Borders and Barnes & Noble to look at the way other historical books were presented. The most difficult part was to download and prepare the many pages filled with photos my father had incorporated in his book, in black and white. Last but not least was the cover. Following my wish of making it a special cover with a certain romantic aspect, Anita and her husband photographed what is today the cover of “Memoirs of Raoul”. We then contacted Instantpublisher.com who were extremely helpful. Anita was able to discuss with them every step of the way and I finally had 60 copies published! But how could I make this known to those interested outside my family and friends. Again Anita came to the rescue and showed me a blog she had created and with the help of my eldest daughter, Rebecca, I created a blog https://memoirsofraoul.wordpress.com. It is not as active as most blogs, but still today it is visited by people interested in war stories and history. It was easy with the help of WordPress.com. I highly recommend to all who are far from home to create a blog where one can update and share recent photos about new events on a daily basis. It also allows for comments from friends and family and is very interactive.

Most important, the dream came true thanks to my WBFN friends. I do hope that likewise newcomers and older members of WBFN will find the support I had through my years in WBFN. Even though I am no longer in the U.S., I am still very much tuned in to the continued work of WBFN members in helping and supporting families of WBG. I look forward every month to reading Mosaic and also going to www.wbfn.org and seeing what is happening and what is new! It is great to know that the membership is so active and always trying to excel in what volunteers can do, lending a helping hand and allowing for creativity. Just imagine being able to publish a book thanks to discussions while volunteering at WBFN!

On September 1, 2009, my goal was accomplished. On presenting the book, my Mother recognized old friends and reminisced about the old days.

Rosa Lia Troch