As a teenager, author Georg Rauch helped his mother protect the Jewish couples hidden in their Viennese attic. Officially classified as one-quarter Jewish, Rauch is drafted into Hitlers army and sent to fight for causes he detests. Rauch finds himself near death many times, but his talents as a shortwave radio operator, chef, and even harmonica player all play a role in his survival. Captured by the Russians in the autumn of 1944, Rauch faces brutality and near-fatal illness as a POW. Recruitment for Russian espionage saves his life this time, but his story isnt over yet. Based on eighty letters sent home from the Russian trenches,The Wooden Spoonis a riveting tale of paradox and survival during World War II. A fascinating account of what it was like for a partial Jew to serve in the German military during World War II. Rauchs experiences and hardships dramatically depict the physical and emotional struggles of a Mischling during the Third Reich.Bryan Mark Rigg,author ofHitlers Jewish Soldiers Not about combat tactics but about what it meant to be in an army at war. Rauch has put a human face on aspects of the war that are usually only referred to in passing.Tom Houlihan,WWII cartographer "With honesty and affection Georg Rauch tells of the love and respect between a mother and son as well as the nightmare experiences of a young soldier fighting and barely surviving a war he đnever wanted, understood or could justify." Ellen Barone,Lake Chapala Review