Books by Uta Christensen

Caught: Surviving the Turbulent river of lifeChristensenCoverWeb

In Caught: Surviving the Turbulent River of Life, Janos, a successful executive for a large German conglomerate, reveals the untold experiences of his youth to Sparrow, a young woman he seems attracted to. She is allowed to relive his epic journey and becomes drawn into an unnerving yet moving tapestry of extraordinary events that take place in prisoner of war camps deep within Russia.

Taken by force at age sixteen from the protective circle of his family in Germany, Janos is tossed into the cataclysmic, last-gasp efforts of World War II. His several years-long journey takes him to a place of darkness, where he lives through a near-death experience and must survive physical and emotional starvation, hard labor and ostracism; yet it also carries him into unlikely places and relationships where friendship, compassion, healing, mentoring, and love can amazingly still flourish. As the story unfolds, Janos’ journey accelerates his passage from adolescence to manhood. Almost miraculously, he survives while vast numbers of his fellow prisoners of war perish.

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Touch as Fine Silk, Escape from BeijingUta TaFS

Tough as Fine Silk is a fast paced, intricate and subtly alluring tale of love, betrayal and a journey through China’s colorful, fascinating and monumental history.
Michael Sorensen, a young California, has a serendipitous as well as frightening encounter on China’s Great Wall. A beautiful young Chinese woman, Li Juan, trips on a steep stairway above him and falls literally into his arms. If he hadn’t caught her, Juan could have been killed.

Michael works in Beijing as an electronics engineer. Juan is the star attraction a Beijing’s elegant Blue Moon night club. The club owners’ most precious asset is Juan – gorgeous, sociable, self-educated and independent.

Juan decides to leave the Blue Moon for a day job to spend more time with Michael. Shortly thereafter, with seeming intent, a hit-and-run accident totals Michael’s car. His is shaken, but unharmed. Hearing about the accident, Juan is terrified. After some contemplation, she believes that her former bosses may mean Michael harm and her as well.

The couple flees Beijing. Leaving everything behind, they embark on a long train journey to Guangzhou that takes them through China’s ancient and recent past. With greater distance from Beijing, the couple feels safer and falls passionately in love. Ultimately it is Juan, embodying her unfathomable country, who causes events to take unexpected and traumatic turns.

Bed Of Roses Bed Of Thornsuta cover BOR

Germany, WWI and WWII: War devastates the lives of ordinary citizens. While the country’s face was changing and men died in battle by the millions, the women’s psyche was also changing.

Ursula Meister, an insatiably curious child, has an innate sense of independence and is a keen observer. Coming of age after the end of WWII, Ursula’s sense of self is adversely affected by her mother, a beautiful but repressive, insensitive, punishing woman. Ursula longs for her father, a soldier in the German army who is absent during her formative years. However, when he returns, she feels estranged. Finding solace in listening to family tales through her Aunt Lidia’s storytelling, Ursula learns of the women before her who survived hardships more severe than hers.

Faced with war time’s extreme insecurity, but equipped with intelligence and strength, Ursula must find for herself her true beliefs, her worth, and eventually her freedom and independence.

Uta Christensen writes a poignant and engrossing coming-of-age story and family saga that explores the emotional boundaries of family dynamics—in the lives, loves, losses and joys of three generations—and the strength of the women bearing the brunt of tragedy. A beautiful and compelling read, Bed of Roses, Bed of Thorns will stay with you long after the final page is read.