Don't Call Me 'Mother'

Due to the circumstances of her conception, Rosa Mitter harbored a great fear of rejection. More than anything else she wanted to be a member of her society in terms of equality and acceptance. But Rosa felt that she was dealt an unfair hand by her illegitimacy.

While she internally rebelled it became her priority to fit into the lives and hearts of her family, friends, and community. This conflict of her need for integrity as a person and her need for a c c e p t a n c e and love in her social world dominated and shaped her life.

'Don’t Call Me “Mother”' is a true story that reflects the social, religious, and political mores of rural Bavaria in the 1920s and beyond, and how they influenced and shaped the lives of women born in rural German communities.