This Horrible Uncertainty

Erika Quinn is a Professor of History at Eureka College. Her publications include Franz Liszt: A Story of Central European Subjectivity (Brill, 2014), and Animals, Machines, and AI: On Human and Non-Human Emotions in Modern German Cultural History (De Gruyter, 2021) (co-edited with Holly Yanacek), as well as numerous contributions regarding grief, diaries, literature, and women in wartime. She is currently pursuing a Clinical License in Social Work with a focus on historic and intergenerational trauma.

List of Figures and Maps

Acknowledgments



Introduction



Part I



Chapter 1. Women’s Diaries and War: Form, Purpose, and Emotions

Chapter 2. “We Loved Each Other So Much” (1939-1943): Building a Life Together

Chapter 3. “We would be so happy if we could celebrate Christmas with your father”: War comes to the Conrads



Part II



Chapter 4. “From now on this book will not be just for our kids, but rather first of all for you, dearest!”: Becoming a Waiting Wife

Chapter 5. “Despite the war conditions everything at the farm keeps going”: Stepping into New Responsibilities, 1944-1945



Part III



Chapter 6. “We were spared by a miracle,” May 1944-January 1945: Bombing disrupts rural life

Chapter 7. “Sweetheart, I Don’t Want to Fall into Their Hands,” January 1945-June 1946: Defeat and Division

Chapter 8. Looking for Joachim, July 1945- May 1948: Waiting Wife



Conclusion: Afterlives



Bibliography