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Meet Local Author

BARBARA STEINGAS

Barbara Steingas is a resident of High Bridge, New Jersey.  Her new book, Germans Are Funny Too! Stories Of My Cuckoo Kraut Family, is a wonderful reflection of what it means to celebrate your German heritge.  Signed copies of this often hilarious book Brabara and her family are available at the Clinton Book Shop. 

Every family is unique with their own stories as well as dysfunctions. Some good, some bad. Some funny, some sad. So, why write about the Deutsche (German) side of my family? For starters, Germans are usually depicted either as evil Nazis or exceedingly stoic and stubborn; certainly not warm and fuzzy. Don’t get me wrong, I acknowledge these stereotypes are at times true, but there’s so much more to their personalities and characters, at least from my point of view. For I’ve had the honor and privilege of experiencing German people and culture firsthand through­out my life via my mother and her family.

The biggest strength of this book is that each story is told in a way that makes it easy for a reader to relate to, regardless of background (German or non-German). It also illuminates the thousand different ways that one's family, culture and history can impact one's day to day life. The comfortable, easy-going tone of the author gives the reader the sense of hearing a friend sharing treasured memories, and is one of the best aspects of the story. --Glaister Kerr, formerly of Miramax