Franz X Beisser Is a proud American. He is also an immigrant and proud to be just that. With great spirit, proper humility, zero self-pity and prodigious memories, he has compiled more than 130 short stories and anecdotes that span the years in postwar Germany... A Time and Place, The Making of an Immigrant is more than an autobiography. It is an upbeat testimony that anyone can achieve happiness and success... The strong influences the author describes as being key to the molding of his character bear fruit in the success he has achieved,"
-Barbara M. Dickinson, THE ROANOKE TIMES

..easy to read. . . you can quit any time you like.. yet there is a theme to A Time and Place, The Making of an Immigrant that goes beyond anecdotes. Here is a man that lost his father in World War II, endured long series of deprivations as the great conflict wound down, then ended up immigrating to the very country whose soldiers had captured and occupied his home village. Among the high points of the book for me were stories about how Beisser's mother broke the world record for peeling potatoes (and received a better apartment from the Mayor of Munich as a reward) war stories from his stepfather and an account of Franz's first meeting with American Gls."
-Darrell Laurant, THE NEWS AND ADVANCE

"The delight of the book is the informal and easy style in which Franz tells his story. It's the kind of story that holds your interest if for no other reason than how well it is told. The book is also a sincere retelling of one man's engaging journey from boyhood to maturity"
-THE WHITE OAK MAGAZINE

"A warm and witty raconteur, Franz X. Beisser, III fills his fast-paced narrative with lively vignettes of growing up In Germany during and after World War II, and starting a new life with his family In America in 1955. The 130 short stories and anecdotes allow the reader to pick it up at will. But once opened, this autobiography is hard to put down. The young Beisser was a keen and incisive observer, storing up sharply detailed memories, skillfully picturing his family's life as refugees who moved from bomb-shattered Munich to the comparative safety of the small southern Bavarian town of Griesbach. There the little family made a home above a Gasthaus in a medieval building while his father served his country. His father was lost during the war. Beisser reports how his new stepfather survived ghastly hand-to-hand combat on the Russian front. This absorbing tale told by an eager and sensitive boy with a fine sense of humor, poignancy and inspiration leads us through the family's return to city life in Munich, his apprenticeship as a photoengraver, his eventual immigration to America, and how he overcame the uncertainties and anxieties of living in a different culture in a strange country."
-Ravelle Hamilton, THE REVIEW

This is a letter to the author (shown in its entirety):

Dear Mr. Beisser,

Your son, Chris, gave me a copy of your book with specific instructions that I had to be brutally honest about it. It is already in my nature to be brutally honest, therefore please forgive me if I am too blunt.

I really enjoyed your book. I found if very interesting. I like the way you write and the way you tell a story. You have a very good sense of humor it seems and it comes out in your book. I appreciate the fact that you have taken time to write your history and share it with the general public. I love to delve into my own family history and it would mean so much to me if someone in my family had taken the time to write their memories out. I hope that your family appreciates the gift that you have given them. It is truly priceless.

As I have stated, I enjoyed reading your book but it left me with several questions. I am dying to know which little girl in the school picture was Monika. And I found it extremely annoying that I couldn't read your resume that you wrote out or the news article about your mother peeling the potatoes. Please do not take that as a criticism of your book but take it as a compliment that I want to know more.

On page 2, you wrote: "There were never any tears or screams, because fright is not accompanied by tears and cannot be consoled by one's own emotions." That statement is extremely insightful it really made me stop and think.

Also, you spoke a lot about all of the different recipes that your mother cooked. I found that interesting, but when you started talking about blood sausage and cooking the goose my American stomach felt queasy. Which of course made me laugh, because I don't think that was the emotion you were going for.

There were times I would have cried while reading. I never did because you never showed one ounce of self-pity at any of the situations you were placed in. You have had some really rough times and lots of things that would have depressed a weaker man but you always found the joy in just everyday things. I think that is a lesson that we all need to learn, as well as, how much we should appreciate our families.

I read some of the stories to my son and to my husband they both enjoyed what you wrote. My son, Caleb, liked your illustrations and loved the frog story and your sister peeing in your shoe. That one really made him roll with laughter. The family picture in the back he liked looking at and seeing the picture of the man that writes such neat stories. (Caleb also thinks Katrina has a beautiful smile and the Al looks like the movie star Chris O'Donnell).

I really want to know how you met your wife, why you moved to Bedford, and how you eventually got to own your printing company. I hope that you continue writing your memories and history and share these things with us. Thank you for allowing me to read your book.

Sincerely,

Traci M Kauffman