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Local Author Book Talk

Janis Robinson Daly

Join local author Janis Robinson Daly as she discusses her novel, Under Two Flags.

When dreams collide with war, survival becomes the ultimate performance.

In October 1916, eighteen-year-old Josephine Therese Marzynski leaves Boston for Berlin to pursue a dream of studying opera at Germany’s most prestigious music conservatory. Living with family friends and immersing herself in German culture, she finds unexpected beauty and friendship in the heart of a war-torn country.

When America enters the Great War in April 1917, Josephine’s world transforms overnight—from welcomed student to enemy of the state. Trapped in Berlin, Josephine must navigate rationing, bureaucratic interrogations, and the constant threat of suspicion. Her survival depends on those who risk their own safety to protect her, while she struggles with divided loyalties between her American identity and the German people who have become her chosen family.

Based on the true story from Josephine’s memoir and set against the backdrop of a city slowly starving under the weight of war, Under Two Flags is a gripping tale of resilience, moral complexity, and the transformative power of music in humanity's darkest hours. As Josephine fights to secure passage home, she confronts impossible choices that will test everything she believes about loyalty, survival, and the true meaning of patriotism.

For adults. Registration required. Contact Ari at apappas@minlib.net with any questions.

About Janis:

Inspired by the discovery that an ancestor founded the Woman’s Medical College of PA, Daly’s first two award-winning books celebrate the work of pioneering women in medicine. Her third book, Under Two Flags, honors the story of another woman whose life remained in the shadows of history. Under Two Flags, a retelling of Josephine Marzynski’s memoir from her time in Berlin during World War I, was originally ghostwritten by Daly's grandfather, Eliot H. Robinson, Sr.

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