Andra Putnis
Stories My Grandmothers Didn’t Tell Me
When she breaks an unspoken family code not to dig too deeply into the past, Andra is plunged into the bleak world of the Soviet and Nazi occupations of Latvia in World War II, and secret lives of her grandmothers. This memoir is a moving illustration of the power and beauty that comes from knowing the stories of our grandmothers.
Available at local bookstores and online stores!
As children, we’d sneak into Grandma’s bedroom on secret missions. Her cupboard was filled with old fur coats, strange woven folk costumes and small mountains of glowing amber. We were half-scared, made breathless by our discoveries, but knew we hadn’t seen it all, hadn’t understood what was really hidden there.
When she breaks an unspoken family code not to dig too deep into the past, Andra is plunged into the bleak world of the Soviet and Nazi occupations of Latvia in World War II and secret lives of her grandmothers.
Teenage Aline is wrested away from her parents to serve as forced labour in Germany. With the much- feared Soviet army on the doorstep, pregnant Milda embarks on a desperate winter escape with her young son. They face heart-wrenching decisions and endure years of hardship before finally voyaging to Australia. Among the tight-knit Latvian migrant community, Aline and Milda forge new lives. But even there, reminders of wartime scandal and grief threaten to drag them under.
My Latvian Grandmothers, Aline Putnis and Milda Berzins, as young women
Aline Putnis and Milda Berzins building new lives in Australia
About the photo on the book’s cover
The cover image, which shows refugees who left Lodz in Poland headed for Berlin in 1945, first appeared in the London Daily Mirror on 14 December 1945. The photographer was Fred Ramage. The image is used here as representative of the plight of refugees in Europe during and after World War Two.
Praise for Stories My Grandmothers Didn’t Tell Me
'An elegant, absorbing story of ordinary people thrown into extraordinary crisis, and how they draw on their reserves of love, strength and resilience to survive.'
- Peter Greste, Professor of Journalism, Macquarie University
'Anyone with untold stories flowing through their DNA will find home and understanding here. I felt my own grandmother speaking to me...'
- Amy Remeikis, Journalist, The Guardian
‘Deeply moving, brilliantly crafted and powerfully written, this memoir is an object lesson in how ordinary lives are rendered extraordinary by curiosity, persistence and love. It gave me knowledge, joy and tears.’
- Biff Ward, Author of In My Mother’s Hands
‘The personal, emotional and loving blended with the history of a nation in critical times...a compelling read for all generations.’
- Ilze Thomas, Teacher, Adelaide Latvian School
‘Searing and beautiful book.’
- Sally Pryor, Features Editor, The Canberra Times
‘The book is an act of love – for family, for Latvian culture, heritage and all displaced peoples. And it is a way for old hurts to begin to heal. It’s a beautiful reading experience by an author who is not only in command of her subject and the craft of writing but possessed of the long and gentle patience needed to be with people who need to speak of grief and loss. This is compassionate and meticulous chronicling..’
- Barbie Robinson, The Canberra Bookshelf, The RiotACT
‘A work that seeks to bridge the distance between the present and the past and to balance a granddaughter’s search for connection with a writer’s search for stories. The author honours a family’s silences as much as its traumas to produce a work of compassionate moral reckoning.’
- Canberra Critics’ Circle (Literature Panel) 2024 ACT Arts Awards
Photos above by Garen Krumins, Brisbane Latvian Hall, Latvian Grandmothers - conversations in print and film with Professor Peter Greste and showing Kriv Stenders’ film Motherland (1994), 2024.
Stories My Grandmothers Didn’t Tell Me will prompt great book club and family history group discussions. Please find some links below to different tiles you can use to suggest Stories My Grandmothers Didn’t Tell Me for your next read or group meeting. Also attached are some discussion notes to get you started!
Resources
Thorson Photography, Canberra, 2024.
Andra is an Australian author with Latvian heritage working to tell powerful stories to help us better understand our world and each other.
Her debut book, Stories My Grandmothers Didn’t Tell Me, reveals the incredible tales of how her two Latvian grandmothers lived through the terror of the Second World War and survived to immigrate to Australia.
Against the backdrop of our increasingly uncertain world, the book delves into why we need the stories of our grandmothers to better understand where we come from and who we want to be.
Andra completed a Bachelor of Arts / Law at the Australian National University majoring in History in 2001 and is finalising a Masters Degree specialising in qualitative research and storytelling. She lives in Canberra on Ngunnawal and Ngambri country with her partner and two children.
Stories My Grandmothers Didn’t Tell Me is published in Australia by Allen and Unwin. It is to be translated into Latvian and published in Latvia by Zvaigzne ABC in 2025-26.
My Latvian Grandmothers
Andra grew up close to her two Latvian grandmothers – but they were reticent to fully speak about what truly happened to them during the Second World War and she was afraid to ask too many questions. Nanna Aline was funny, expressive and girlish but seemed plagued by anguish and regret about the events of the Second World War. Grandma Milda was elegant, proud and clever but seemed trapped in rose-tinted memories of the Latvia she’d left behind in 1944.
As a young adult Andra had the opportunity to finally listen and piece together what happened to her grandmothers. On the journey to write the book, Andra conducted family interviews, accessed historical materials and visited Latvia.
Stories My Grandmothers Didn’t Tell Me will be enjoyed by readers interested in family sagas, Eastern European history, refugee and women’s stories.
The book also provides insight into the fascinating history of Latvia - one of the three Baltic countries alongside Lithuania and Estonia sitting between Russia and Scandinavia.
Other Projects
Andra also researches and writes on key social, environmental and economic issues facing Australia. This includes in the areas of 'place' as a driver of opportunity, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, land and sea management, and community-led development.
Her work with Equity Economics aims to bring people’s reflections and stories together with quality data and analysis to drive positive change.
For example, see reports below:
Updates and Events
Publication of Stories My Grandmothers Didn’t Tell Me
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I grew up close to my Grandma Milda and Nanna Aline. In my twenties, I started a journey to better understand their stories and how they came to Australia from Latvia after WW2.
Stories My Grandmothers Didn’t Tell Me (Allen & Unwin) is now available in bookstores! I’d love to share it with you.
It’s often hard for grandchildren to pierce the ‘fairytale’ veil and see their grandmothers as real people. At its heart, this is a story about understanding how the life experiences of those who have come before us set the foundations for who we are.
