Finding Ruth
Ruth Rosa Luise Mühlmann was just 20 years old when she was murdered at the Bernburg Euthanasia Center on March 31, 1941, one of more than 200.000 people with disabilities systematically killed under the Nazis’ secretive Aktion T4 program. For decades, Ruth’s story was buried by the efficient Nazi cover-up that cloaked these crimes in silence and bureaucracy. It wasn’t until 2018 that the truth of her fate came to light.
In Finding Ruth, author Ilka Knüppel takes readers on a powerful journey to recover the life and memory of her great-aunt. This remarkable book is the first English language memoir of a T4 victim, a significant milestone, as the Nazi “euthanasia” program remains relatively unknown outside of German-speaking countries.
Knüppel’s work stands out not only for its emotional depth but also for its meticulous research. Weaving together elements of biography, family memoir and historical investigation, she offers a deeply personal tribute to Ruth while also illuminating the broader historical forces at play. Through her role as a “vicarious witness,” Ilka brings a silenced past into the present, connecting generations and giving voice to one who was never meant to be heard from again.
The book is the result of a collaborative effort involving relatives, archivists, historians, and researchers from both Germany and the United States. With the support of WWII expert Will Prunka, Ilka traveled to Germany to visit archives and significant locations tied to her family’s history. The outcome is an extraordinary narrative that spans continents and decades, piecing together fragments of oral history, hidden documents, and personal memories to reconstruct the life, and death, of Ruth Mühlmann.
But Finding Ruth is more than just a story of one individual. It challenges the ongoing stigma around disability and mental illness and sheds light on how eugenic ideologies still echo in modern societies. The silence surrounding Aktion T4 was not accidental, and its consequences are still felt today.
By telling Ruth’s story, Ilka Knüppel makes a compelling case for remembrance. Her work is a vital contribution to preserving the memory of all Aktion T4 victims and ensuring that their lives are not forgotten. Finding Ruth is a call to acknowledge the past, and a reminder of the importance of standing against dehumanization in all its forms.
This is not just a book for historians, but for anyone seeking to understand the human cost of the Nazi regime’s policies, and the enduring relevance of that history today. Follow Ilka’s remarkable journey as she brings light to one of the darkest chapters of the 20th century and gives Tante Ruth the recognition she was long denied.