Growing up too quickly with the approach of World War II, young Kully travels with her parents throughout the countries of Europe, sharing their struggles to stay ahead of their visa expirations and evaluating the activities of Hitler, Mussolini, and Chamberlain. 25,000 first printing.
"A delicious novel about an irreverent thirteen year old, Child of All Nations smokes and so does its heroine."-Erica Jong
Kully knows some things you don't learn at school, from the right way to roll a cigarette to how to pack a suitcase. She knows that you can't enter a country without a passport or visa, and that she and her parents can't go back to Germany again-her father's books are banned there. Her mother would just like to settle down, but as her restless father struggles to find a new publisher, the three must escape from country to country as their visas expire, money runs out and hotel bills mount up.
In this utterly enchanting novel, some of the great themes of 1930s Europe are refracted through the eyes of a child who is both naive and wise beyond her years. Irrepressible Kully, her charming, feckless father and her nervy, fragile mother are brought to life through Irmgard Keun's fastpaced prose.
