We had the honor to have Martina Kohl at our school for a reading of her novel “Family Matters”.
The 11th grade students listened eagerly to Martina Kohl’s introduction of her family’s life and their fascination with the United States. We learned about Martina Kohl’s great-grandmother, Elizabeth, who had no choice but to leave New York to live a miserable life with her husband in a small German town. It was touching to hear that it was Elizabeth who motivated Martina Kohl to write her novel in English. She wanted to give the English language back to her, as she had sacrificed everything for the sake of her son.
In the next chapter we could listen to the story of Elizabeth’s son, Little Henry, who uses his power to “reinvent himself” as he integrates into German society.
Martina Kohl wrote a fictional memoir about her family and how family matters shape our identity. The novel touches on many issues relevant to people today, such as integration into a new world, migration, gender roles, and “living in two worlds”.
We are delighted to have had the opportunity to listen to Martina Kohl at our school and desperately wait for her second novel to be finished and published.
J. Rösener
FL Englisch
