ALWAYS ALMOST is an explosive first-person narrative which unmasks the difficult life of common citizens in World War II-ravaged Germany. Giselle's diaries, lost for decades, re-discovered in 2013, and translated by the octogenarian author, lift the curtain on a country's darkest historical past . . . showing how propaganda, diabolically hidden social plans, and the relentless Nazi war machine unhinged a proud, compassionate, and industrious people, and shattered relationships . . . between friends, neighbors, and families. ALWAYS ALMOST reveals the author's terror when Allied bombings, targeting nearby industrial facilities, killed thousands of innocent civilians and destroyed 90 percent of her home town of Mannheim; her fear that her father's clandestine anti-Nazi activities would be discovered; and her apprehension when she discovered that her uncle was sending her young cousins to sneak Jews out of Germany. Life-changing betrayals traumatize her and fracture her family; yet, she continues her search for love; relies on the strength of friendships; and struggles to survive the suffering and corruption that continue after the war. ALWAYS ALMOST is a story about the strength of the human spirit and an intimate insight into the joys, disappointments, frustrations, and triumphs of a young girl growing into womanhood as the world around her broke.