Poppies in the Wind: A Latvian Family's Arduous Quest for Safety and Freedom During the Second World War

At the beginning of 1939, Augusts and Marga Magons and their two young children, Rasa and Ivars, were enjoying a happy, peaceful life in Riga, Latvia. Eighteen months later, their lives had been turned upside down by the Second World War. Leaving behind almost everything they had, they fled their comfortable apartment as the Red Army overran their country. This began a decade-long odyssey which eventually brought them to America.

Their story is like that of millions of others whose lives were shattered by the war. It includes loss, near-starvation, hopelessness, separation, uncertainty, fear and despair. But mostly it is a story of the power of love of family, of courage and of the determination to survive – a story that begs to be handed down through generations.

Includes over 100 pages of pictures from the precious family album, showing life in Latvia before the war, scenes from the refugee camp in Germany, and their arrival in America.