Ruth Hampel

When the Walls Have Ears Ruth Hampel

Ruth Hampel was born in Chemnitz, Germany in 1930. Devoted communists, her family moved to Leningrad to participate in the creation of a 'workers paradise'. When her much-loved father disappeared during the Great Purge and her mother was falsely accused of treason, Ruth's life fell into turmoil. Branded a traitor at the age of six, Ruth managed to survive, despite the ongoing threats of Stalinism, Nazism and starvation. In her remarkable memoir, Ruth shares what it means to be a member of 'Stalin's lost generation', and how finding love helped her overcome a childhood steeped in fear and sorrow. Ruth Hampel was born in Chemnitz, Germany in 1930. Devoted communists, her family moved to Leningrad to participate in the creation of a 'workers paradise'. When her much-loved father disappeared during the Great Purge and her mother was falsely accused of treason, Ruth's life fell into turmoil. Branded a traitor at the age of six, Ruth managed to survive, despite the ongoing threats of Stalinism, Nazism and starvation. In her remarkable memoir, Ruth shares what it means to be a member of 'Stalin's lost generation', and how finding love helped her overcome a childhood steeped in fear and sorrow.