Book 6 The Steppes are the Colour of Sepia by Connie Braun *

The redemption story of the Letkeman family who survived, against all odds, the Russian revolution, deportation to the Gulag, the German occupation, the Great Trek, and labour in Yugoslavia and Austria, and finally immigration to Canada.  Much of it is so familiar to most of us --- we all have the same family stories.  Braun has meticulously researched her family history, though sources are sparce.   My only complaint are the several introductory and ending chapters that contrast in style with the wonderful telling of the main part of the book.  She tells each part of the story by deconstructing an old photograph or postcard, a few of which somehow remain in the family.   Maria Letkeman is the aunt of the Letkeman family that were our neighbours in Steinbach.