My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me: A Black Woman Discovers Her Family’s Nazi Past
Jennifer Teege and Nikola Sellmair, trans. from the German by Carolin Sommer. The Experiment, $24.95 (240p) ISBN 978-1-6151-9253-3
In this unforgettable memoir, Teege, writing with journalist Sellmair, discovers secrets about her family during WWII. Teege, a part-Nigerian German working in the advertising industry, shakes up her quiet married life after discovering a book, Matthias Kessler’s I Have to Love My Father, that inspires her to unravel her convoluted family history. She’s horrified to learn that her biological mother’s father was infamous SS leader Amon Goeth. As depicted in Schindler’s List, Goeth liquidated the Krakow ghetto in Poland, ran the Plaszow death camp, and was captured by Americans and hanged in 1946. Teege’s travels in Poland, Germany, and the Middle East further expose her family’s troubled legacy. Her biological mother, Monika, became pregnant with Teege after an affair with a Nigerian student, and placed the baby for adoption; Monika’s unapologetic mother, Ruth, makes excuses for Goeth, who was her lover. Teege’s quest to discover her personal history is empowering. [em](May)
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Details
Reviewed on: 03/30/2015
Genre: Nonfiction
Compact Disc - 978-1-5046-3999-6
Compact Disc - 978-1-5046-4001-5
MP3 CD - 978-1-5046-4000-8
Open Ebook - 242 pages - 978-1-61519-254-0
Paperback - 240 pages - 978-1-61519-308-0
Pre-Recorded Audio Player - 978-1-5046-6434-9
