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»Neger, Neger, Schornsteinfeger!«
1926 in Hamburg: Als Sohn einer weißen Mutter und eines schwarzen Vaters wächst Hans-Jürgen Massaquoi zunächst in großbürgerlichen Verhältnissen auf. Der Großvater, ehemaliger König der Vais, ist liberianischer Generalkonsul in Hamburg. Die Dienstboten sind Weiße. Doch dann verläßt die liberianische Familie das Land. Massaquoi und seine Mutter bleiben zurück und ziehen in ein Arbeiterviertel. Aber bald darauf übernehmen die Nazis die Macht, und das Leben verändert sich grundlegend
513 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1999
248 people are currently reading
4674 people want to read
About the author
Hans J. Massaquoi
17 books24 followersHans-Jürgen Massaquoi was a German American journalist and author, the son of a German mother and Liberian Vai father. His paternal grandfather was Momulu Massaquoi, the consul general of Liberia in Germany at the time and the first African diplomat to represent his country in Germany.
Growing up in Hamburg, Massaquoi suffered severe discrimination during the Nazi dictatorship, an experience he later wrote about in his memoir, Destined to Witness. After spending time with his paternal family in Liberia, he eventually emigrated to the United States, where he took up employment with and, over time, became editor in chief of Ebony magazine. In the course of his career as a journalist, he met and interviewed numerous celebrities, among them Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Jesse Jackson, Muhammad Ali (who also became a close friend), Diana Ross, Jimmy Carter, and former German foreign minister Walter Scheel.
Growing up in Hamburg, Massaquoi suffered severe discrimination during the Nazi dictatorship, an experience he later wrote about in his memoir, Destined to Witness. After spending time with his paternal family in Liberia, he eventually emigrated to the United States, where he took up employment with and, over time, became editor in chief of Ebony magazine. In the course of his career as a journalist, he met and interviewed numerous celebrities, among them Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Jesse Jackson, Muhammad Ali (who also became a close friend), Diana Ross, Jimmy Carter, and former German foreign minister Walter Scheel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 209 reviews
December 15, 2016
I was expecting this to be a depressing accounts of wartime racism. I was wrong. "Destined to Witness" is a lively and frequently hilarious autobiography of a dual heritage German boy. As the son of a Liberian father and a German mother, Hans-Jürgen Massaquoi not only survives, but thrives in Nazi era Germany. Through their wits, humour, and bravery, Hans-Jürgen and his beloved Mutti dance along the precipice of World War II Germany and live to tell a remarkable tale. The story moves quickly from prewar Germany, through the firebombing of hamburg, to his life in Liberia, and finally salvation in the USA.
The style is jaunty and direct, creating a sense of immediacy. I almost felt as though I was in the air-raid bunker in Hamburg, feeling the metal roof get hotter, choking on the smoke, and watching the air blacken.
I was astonished by the contradictions of Nazi society: how a previously friendly neighbour turned on the young Hans and banned him from the playground because he was an "inferior non-Aryan." However, a few years later, a Nazi SS officer saved him from a baying German mob who were about to lynch him. My only criticism would be that I wanted more detail on his life in the USA.
This book will have particular interest for students of World War II, Germany, and race relations, but this incredible story deserves a much wider audience. Thank you for another fantastic recommendation, Andrew!
The style is jaunty and direct, creating a sense of immediacy. I almost felt as though I was in the air-raid bunker in Hamburg, feeling the metal roof get hotter, choking on the smoke, and watching the air blacken.
I was astonished by the contradictions of Nazi society: how a previously friendly neighbour turned on the young Hans and banned him from the playground because he was an "inferior non-Aryan." However, a few years later, a Nazi SS officer saved him from a baying German mob who were about to lynch him. My only criticism would be that I wanted more detail on his life in the USA.
This book will have particular interest for students of World War II, Germany, and race relations, but this incredible story deserves a much wider audience. Thank you for another fantastic recommendation, Andrew!
December 7, 2020
This is extremely readable and my interest was never in danger of waning throughout. It is Hans Juergen's (H.J) life adventure, growing up in Hamburg, the son of a white German mother and Black Liberian (absentee) father.
Born in 1926, he was 7 when Hitler came to power and we follow how his daily world changed as Nazi ideology took hold, not least in the schoolroom. Fortunately for him he was pretty street wise (he needed to be) and physically tough. H.J. is also extremely likeable and that is the reader's good fortune. We do witness through HJ's eyes the nazification of Germany, and the effect of this on him and those around him, including the silent majority who endeavoured to get on with their lives as best they could, paying lip service as necessary.
H.J. witnessed the merciless Allied bombing of Hamburg and unlike many fellow Germans survived. The plight of those survivors, as Germany's war was being lost, was grim.. Then we witness allied occupation and all that came with that.
H.J.'s adventures continue via Liberia and the USA. They are never dull.
Has this been made into a film? If not, why not?
Recommended to anyone interested in human nature, Nazi Germany, Africa and USA post WWII, the race issue of course but above all interested in a damned good read!
Born in 1926, he was 7 when Hitler came to power and we follow how his daily world changed as Nazi ideology took hold, not least in the schoolroom. Fortunately for him he was pretty street wise (he needed to be) and physically tough. H.J. is also extremely likeable and that is the reader's good fortune. We do witness through HJ's eyes the nazification of Germany, and the effect of this on him and those around him, including the silent majority who endeavoured to get on with their lives as best they could, paying lip service as necessary.
H.J. witnessed the merciless Allied bombing of Hamburg and unlike many fellow Germans survived. The plight of those survivors, as Germany's war was being lost, was grim.. Then we witness allied occupation and all that came with that.
H.J.'s adventures continue via Liberia and the USA. They are never dull.
Has this been made into a film? If not, why not?
Recommended to anyone interested in human nature, Nazi Germany, Africa and USA post WWII, the race issue of course but above all interested in a damned good read!
July 20, 2020
Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany by Hans-Jürgen Massaquoi presents a fascinating case study of how some among our species are capable of adapting, persevering & ultimately prevailing in the face of incredible hurdles, handicaps & outright hostility.
The book represents the biography of a mixed-race fellow born in Hamburg, Germany in 1926, the son on a German mother & a Liberian father, a man who when Hans was 4, returned to Africa with his own father (Hans' Liberian grandfather) & was not heard from again for 15 years.
From his very beginning, Hans is seen as a Mischling, roughly translated as a "mongrel", a hybrid or non-Aryan, a status that causes him to become increasingly distanced from mainstream Germany as the Third Reich's concept of a Master Race intensifies with Hitler's rise to power. At every step, his mother, "Mutti" defends her son against prejudice & victimization of many kinds, particularly in school & is a constant source of guidance for Hans. In spite of that, Hans is sometimes referred to as Neger, Neger, Shornsteinfeger, or "Negro, Negro, Chimney-sweep" but is persistent, making many friends with his fellow students.
What saves the boy is an addiction to reading, something that becomes an escape from "the mental prison of Nazi German propaganda", with the books becoming "the genii of knowledge" for Hans.
An excellent student, Hans is barred from entering a secondary school that would lead to a professional career because of his non-Aryan status, forcing him to enter a 3 year trade school program training & working as a mechanic. In time, the war comes to Germany, with nightly bombings of Hamburg, trips to underground air raid shelters & death all around the bombed buildings, including their own house. 40,000+ are killed in his home city but Hans & his mother manage to survive. Eventually, they take precarious shelter with a relative in a rural town to the south and while there Hans is confronted with the smoke of chimneys from a nearby concentration camp & is warned away from the site.
With the war lost & Allied troops occupying Germany, cigarettes become the prevailing currency but Hans manages to teach himself to play the clarinet & the saxophone in order to join a band entertaining American troops at night, meeting his first African-Americans, soldiers who can't believe that Hans is fluent in German & is in fact himself a German. But when he hears black G.I.s playing with a Jazz band, it quickly becomes apparent that Hans has no real future as a musician. Once again, a book comes to the rescue, as he heightens his English fluency by reading Maugham's The Razor's Edge, translating it word by word. (Earlier, he'd had some minimal English lessons at school but for Hans, American movies were his initial inroad to learning the language.)
Post-WWII, Hans Massaquoi finally receives a letter from his Liberian father, inviting him to visit Liberia. The freighter trip to West Africa & the experience of relatives in Liberia proves to be another learning experience, with Hans taking a menial job as a mechanic & attempting to come to know his African father, a descendant of Liberian royalty & his relatives, while also being introduced to the Liberian president, William Tubman.
When Hans Massaquoi succeeds in coming to the United States, he is quickly drafted into the Army & encounters a new form of racism in the days prior to the integration of the American military, concluding that in a way the prejudice he faced in Nazi Germany was almost "more honest". Nonetheless, Hans stays in America, manages to become college-educated, find a secure job working for the minority-owned Johnson Publishing Company in Chicago, marries an African-American woman & raises two successful sons, one a Harvard educated doctor & the other a prominent lawyer.
I have focused on the story of Hans Massaquoi for obvious reasons but Destined to Witness is really a multi-generational story, with Hans' mother & other relatives also emigrating from Germany, and while most fully embrace him, his mother's brother refuses to acknowledge Hans, causing an enduring rift that prevents them from ever associating with each other, even though the relatives lived only 40 minutes apart. Somehow, prejudice inherited in Nazi Germany made its way across the Atlantic to merge with endemic racial hostility in America.
Destined to Witness ends with a plea of uncommon relevance from Hans Massaquoi that has enhanced urgency for Americans & the world today.
*The photo images within my review are of Hans Massaquoi, with #s 1&3 as a successful adult in Chicago and the 2nd as a young boy in Hamburg. **Within the book are many black & white photos, including some of Hans Massaquoi with family and others via his position as a publishing executive, with President Jimmy Carter, Martin Luther King, Jesse Owens, Max Schmeling, Muhammad Ali, Diana Ross + authors, Alex Haley & James Baldwin.
The book represents the biography of a mixed-race fellow born in Hamburg, Germany in 1926, the son on a German mother & a Liberian father, a man who when Hans was 4, returned to Africa with his own father (Hans' Liberian grandfather) & was not heard from again for 15 years.
From his very beginning, Hans is seen as a Mischling, roughly translated as a "mongrel", a hybrid or non-Aryan, a status that causes him to become increasingly distanced from mainstream Germany as the Third Reich's concept of a Master Race intensifies with Hitler's rise to power. At every step, his mother, "Mutti" defends her son against prejudice & victimization of many kinds, particularly in school & is a constant source of guidance for Hans. In spite of that, Hans is sometimes referred to as Neger, Neger, Shornsteinfeger, or "Negro, Negro, Chimney-sweep" but is persistent, making many friends with his fellow students.
What saves the boy is an addiction to reading, something that becomes an escape from "the mental prison of Nazi German propaganda", with the books becoming "the genii of knowledge" for Hans.
My literary taste was eclectic & I did not distinguish between good & bad books, appropriate or inappropriate-for-my-age books, reading everything I could get my hands on with equal enthusiasm. Consequently--and in spite of the Nazis' restrictive, one-dimensional totalitarianism--I became part of a vast, multifaceted & multicolored world long before I was able to physically escape the mental prison that was Nazi Germany.Curiously, the young Hans Massaquoi also identified with the old Germanic legends of Siegfried, the fairest of knights, feeding into the National Socialists cult of racial mythology. Due to cultural indoctrination & a desire to fit in, Hans retained a lingering loyalty to & fondness for Hitler, somehow blaming others well beyond Adolph Hitler for racism & antisemitism, celebrating the invasion of Poland with other Germans & even wanting follow his boyhood friends by joining the Hitler Youth.
Through the pages of my books, I could traverse time as well as space, reality as well as fantasy, even traveling into outer space & 20,000 leagues beneath the sea with Jules Verne, later smoking a peace pipe in the wigwam of a Native-American chieftain, thanks to James Fenimore Cooper. Mark Twain took me on a raft down the Mississippi, Charles Dickens brought me face to face with child abuse & Harriet Beecher Stowe let me feel the pain of slaves in the South of far-off America, while Cervantes introduced me to the deranged Don Quixote & his quest for knightly honors.
An excellent student, Hans is barred from entering a secondary school that would lead to a professional career because of his non-Aryan status, forcing him to enter a 3 year trade school program training & working as a mechanic. In time, the war comes to Germany, with nightly bombings of Hamburg, trips to underground air raid shelters & death all around the bombed buildings, including their own house. 40,000+ are killed in his home city but Hans & his mother manage to survive. Eventually, they take precarious shelter with a relative in a rural town to the south and while there Hans is confronted with the smoke of chimneys from a nearby concentration camp & is warned away from the site.
With the war lost & Allied troops occupying Germany, cigarettes become the prevailing currency but Hans manages to teach himself to play the clarinet & the saxophone in order to join a band entertaining American troops at night, meeting his first African-Americans, soldiers who can't believe that Hans is fluent in German & is in fact himself a German. But when he hears black G.I.s playing with a Jazz band, it quickly becomes apparent that Hans has no real future as a musician. Once again, a book comes to the rescue, as he heightens his English fluency by reading Maugham's The Razor's Edge, translating it word by word. (Earlier, he'd had some minimal English lessons at school but for Hans, American movies were his initial inroad to learning the language.)
Post-WWII, Hans Massaquoi finally receives a letter from his Liberian father, inviting him to visit Liberia. The freighter trip to West Africa & the experience of relatives in Liberia proves to be another learning experience, with Hans taking a menial job as a mechanic & attempting to come to know his African father, a descendant of Liberian royalty & his relatives, while also being introduced to the Liberian president, William Tubman.
When Hans Massaquoi succeeds in coming to the United States, he is quickly drafted into the Army & encounters a new form of racism in the days prior to the integration of the American military, concluding that in a way the prejudice he faced in Nazi Germany was almost "more honest". Nonetheless, Hans stays in America, manages to become college-educated, find a secure job working for the minority-owned Johnson Publishing Company in Chicago, marries an African-American woman & raises two successful sons, one a Harvard educated doctor & the other a prominent lawyer.
I have focused on the story of Hans Massaquoi for obvious reasons but Destined to Witness is really a multi-generational story, with Hans' mother & other relatives also emigrating from Germany, and while most fully embrace him, his mother's brother refuses to acknowledge Hans, causing an enduring rift that prevents them from ever associating with each other, even though the relatives lived only 40 minutes apart. Somehow, prejudice inherited in Nazi Germany made its way across the Atlantic to merge with endemic racial hostility in America.
Destined to Witness ends with a plea of uncommon relevance from Hans Massaquoi that has enhanced urgency for Americans & the world today.
Terrorism & brutal pogroms in the name of racial, religious or ethnic cleansing, and tribal dominance as practiced by the Nazis in Germany have been reenacted by the Afrikaners in South Africa, the Serbs in Kosovo, the Tutsis in Rwanda and the Protestants & Catholics in Northern Ireland, to name just a few. Initially, the purveyors of racism need no more than the silent acquiescence of the public.The story told by Hans Massaquoi in Destined to Witness is exceedingly uplifting & I recommend the book very highly!
In the case of Nazi Germany, first Germans & then the entire world turned a deaf ear to human rights abuses until it was too late to prevent the architects of racial madness from carrying out their evil schemes. That sad chapter in history suggests that it is never too soon to confront bigotry & racism whenever, wherever & in whatever form it raises its ugly head. It is incumbent upon all people to confront even the slightest hint of racist thought or action with zero tolerance.
*The photo images within my review are of Hans Massaquoi, with #s 1&3 as a successful adult in Chicago and the 2nd as a young boy in Hamburg. **Within the book are many black & white photos, including some of Hans Massaquoi with family and others via his position as a publishing executive, with President Jimmy Carter, Martin Luther King, Jesse Owens, Max Schmeling, Muhammad Ali, Diana Ross + authors, Alex Haley & James Baldwin.
March 4, 2017
I admit I have never thought of this scenario-growing up as mixed race in Nazi Germany. Hans' father was the son of the Liberian ambassador and his mother was a naive white German girl. Because of Hans' health issues as a toddler she refused to leave Germany with her lover. So Hans grew up called a nonhuman and the N word, a word I had no idea was used in other languages.
He was discriminated against at the park, in school, on the street. He did find role models on Jesse Owens and Joe Lewis, who both visited Germany during his prepubescent years. He had difficulty making friends and finding jobs. What I found amazing was the fact that he wants so much to belong that he wanted to join the military. He was denied.
After the war he searches for his roots. He grows to becomes quite happy and successful.
I'd probably give this 3.5 stars.
Lenten nonfiction Reading Challenge book #2
He was discriminated against at the park, in school, on the street. He did find role models on Jesse Owens and Joe Lewis, who both visited Germany during his prepubescent years. He had difficulty making friends and finding jobs. What I found amazing was the fact that he wants so much to belong that he wanted to join the military. He was denied.
After the war he searches for his roots. He grows to becomes quite happy and successful.
I'd probably give this 3.5 stars.
Lenten nonfiction Reading Challenge book #2
July 4, 2014
One thing I thought I would never hear being said about this book actually happened: A coworker of mine actually said this story should not be told, because it, somehow in her mind, made the Holocaust less bad. Only knowing that the author had a Liberian father and managed to survive in Nazi Germany, never see a concentration camp from the inside, via a lot of luck and help from friends, made her say this story is not a story that should be told. In my mind it would shed more light on the time, but she didn't care. It cannot be in her mind, you cannot tell this story in her mind.
I was: What? So this story should not be told because in her mind it "cheapens" the Holocaust? It should not be told because this person was "just lucky?" So we should not tell the stories of other survivors of the Nazi terror when they were "just lucky? Seems like it. Well I didn't press any further since that person is highly choleric and obviously didn't want to hear my standpoint and is all in all not known to be reasonable. Plus I didn't want to waste my energy on a lost cause.
However, this viewpoint, which she apparently considers right, could not be more wrong in my eyes. Just because this book does not fit the stereotypical view of a World War II survivor does not mean it makes that time any less bad (btw. what really cheapens the Holocaust is all those people from that time calling themselves survivors even though they had never been in any Nazi occupied country). Quite the contrary! It sheds more light on that time and how it was, especially since, unlike the average Jewish German this German guy here was not able to hide anything, his "stigma" during that time was plainly visible. So that this was possible during that time actually is important, especially since (based on some other reviews and sadly comments by people I know) many still cannot get it into their heads that just because you do not look like the stereotypical German you must be an outsider, a foreigner, even when they read this book, even though the author might it perfectly clear that he considered himself a German and nothing else.
But apart from that there are other reasons to read this book. Due to the author's unique (well somewhat unique since he was far from the only one with a similar background during that time) background he had a look at that time, towards the Nazis and as well as the Americans from a standpoint many others of the time would not have had. He never truly forgave the British for bombing his home, the city of Hamburg, and he quickly came to realize that the USA were not this paradise of equality many claimed, and still claim, but that its racism was simply more subtle and not as obvious than in Germany. Make no mistake, several people, even Nazis, surprised him one way or another in that regard, I do not want to spoil anything for you, but you will be surprised I am sure.
In addition the author's story is a good example of the power of Nazi indoctrination during that time, believe it or not, but he was affected just as much as all the other boys in his class, and we see how his director managed to do that, and desperately wanted to join the Hitler Youth and later the military, albeit the latter for more practical reasons.
All in all an enjoyable book. Its only flaw might be that only half of it deals with his time in Germany, the rest is in Liberia and the USA. However, that part is no less good or anything, it simply might not be what people expect.
It is too bad that so far only one TV-movie has been made out of it and sadly not a very accurate one either. A TV-series would be the perfect format for it I think.
But either way, I think this is a story worth telling and not shut down simply because it doesn't fit what you like to hear about Nazi Germany.
I was: What? So this story should not be told because in her mind it "cheapens" the Holocaust? It should not be told because this person was "just lucky?" So we should not tell the stories of other survivors of the Nazi terror when they were "just lucky? Seems like it. Well I didn't press any further since that person is highly choleric and obviously didn't want to hear my standpoint and is all in all not known to be reasonable. Plus I didn't want to waste my energy on a lost cause.
However, this viewpoint, which she apparently considers right, could not be more wrong in my eyes. Just because this book does not fit the stereotypical view of a World War II survivor does not mean it makes that time any less bad (btw. what really cheapens the Holocaust is all those people from that time calling themselves survivors even though they had never been in any Nazi occupied country). Quite the contrary! It sheds more light on that time and how it was, especially since, unlike the average Jewish German this German guy here was not able to hide anything, his "stigma" during that time was plainly visible. So that this was possible during that time actually is important, especially since (based on some other reviews and sadly comments by people I know) many still cannot get it into their heads that just because you do not look like the stereotypical German you must be an outsider, a foreigner, even when they read this book, even though the author might it perfectly clear that he considered himself a German and nothing else.
But apart from that there are other reasons to read this book. Due to the author's unique (well somewhat unique since he was far from the only one with a similar background during that time) background he had a look at that time, towards the Nazis and as well as the Americans from a standpoint many others of the time would not have had. He never truly forgave the British for bombing his home, the city of Hamburg, and he quickly came to realize that the USA were not this paradise of equality many claimed, and still claim, but that its racism was simply more subtle and not as obvious than in Germany. Make no mistake, several people, even Nazis, surprised him one way or another in that regard, I do not want to spoil anything for you, but you will be surprised I am sure.
In addition the author's story is a good example of the power of Nazi indoctrination during that time, believe it or not, but he was affected just as much as all the other boys in his class, and we see how his director managed to do that, and desperately wanted to join the Hitler Youth and later the military, albeit the latter for more practical reasons.
All in all an enjoyable book. Its only flaw might be that only half of it deals with his time in Germany, the rest is in Liberia and the USA. However, that part is no less good or anything, it simply might not be what people expect.
It is too bad that so far only one TV-movie has been made out of it and sadly not a very accurate one either. A TV-series would be the perfect format for it I think.
But either way, I think this is a story worth telling and not shut down simply because it doesn't fit what you like to hear about Nazi Germany.
June 29, 2014
Hans-Jürgen Massaquoi was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1926. He was the illegitimate son of a white German mother and Liberian father, who was himself the son of the consul general of Liberia in Germany at the time. Brought up by his mother in Hamburg, this book gives a unique perspective of what it was like for a mixed-race child with African blood to experience the rise and establishment of the Nazi party in post war Germany, as well as surviving not only the Nazi’s brutal racial policies but also the allied bombings of Hamburg during WW11. Unbeknown to Hans-Jürgen at the time, when Hitler came to power, one of his first directives was aimed at these mixed-race children. Underscoring Hitler's obsession with racial purity, by 1937, many mixed-race children in the Rhineland had been forcibly sterilized, in order to prevent further 'race polluting', as Hitler termed it. At the outbreak of war others died in concentration camps. In view of this, the fact that Hans-Jürgen survived the war intact can only be put down to pure luck. Nevertheless, he suffered what can only be described as an almost unbearable amount of racial abuse at the hands of the Nazi’s and it is a testament to his mental strength that he wasn’t completely psychologically crushed by his experiences. In fact after immigrating to the United States he went on to have a very successful career in journalism and became chief editor of Ebony Magazine. He died last year at the ripe old age of 87. This book is not only the story of oppression, and the success of the Nazi propaganda machine in brainwashing the a vast proportion of the German people that all peoples the Nazi’s described as non-Aryan were sub-human, it is also the story of those who could not subscribe to such a racist philosophy. I particular admired his mother without whom I feel he would have been a very damaged young man at the end of the war. He also describes other interesting friendships: such as with Ralph Giordano who also became a writer. Giordano was born to a Sicilian father and a Jewish mother. He and his family survived the Holocaust by hiding in a friend's basement in Hamburg. Their close bond survived until Hans-Jürgen’s death. The story also cover’s his years spent Liberia directly after the war and his early years in the United States. In my view, this is a very interesting read.
January 27, 2008
This is a gem and I cannot say why I read it except that I have read as much as I can about the Nazi era in an attempt to understand it. I have read about medical doctors in that time in Germany, the death hospitals in beautiful rural communities where the smoke from the chimneys had to be ignored by the populace, books by the children of the Nazi Leaders, a book by a young woman who was in the book business in a rural town, Sophie's Choice, Schindler's List, Eyewitness to history, some of Ayn Rand's writing about the era in Europe and a lot I cannot think of at this moment,but this is the only book I ever ran across about a back boy growing up in Nazi Germany. There are some interesting insights in it and interestingly enough, his being black actually may have made him less visablt to the Nazis because black boys were not on their lists. Interesting, huh?
October 11, 2019
Wow this is something to read!!!! I tried to read it last year and my heart wasn’t in it at the time so I decided to pick it back up. I really enjoyed this book! Hans tells his life story living in nazi Germany during ww2 as a half Germany/Liberian. Living in Humberg, Germany with his mother with the constant fear of being killed or deported to camps because of his heritage.
Very interesting story that o would recommend to anyone that loves ww2 stories.
Very interesting story that o would recommend to anyone that loves ww2 stories.
March 25, 2025
A most interesting read. Not the usual story about life in Nazi Germany. Well organised, flows well and great to get a different perspective. a little slow at places but that did not detract from the immersive experience.
August 27, 2009
I picked up this book because I was curious to the experiences of a black boy growing up in Nazi Germany were like. It's very unique. I didn't know what to expect, but I really liked the book.
Massaquoi has had an incredibly moving and interesting life, and tells it all so well. His experiences range over 3 continents, and he has been through both the best and the worst. From his perspective he explains everything in a very modest and unbiased way.
I was most amazed/surprised by his experience through Nazi occupation. Where I thought he would stick out like a sore thumb with no place to hide, he made it through the whole occupation without having to hide. The Germans were so focused on expunging the Jews that he slipped right through the years without too much trouble. Yes, he wasn't accepted, but he wasn't dragged away to a concentration camp either. It was a strong story of his courage and learning to find ways to make himself inconspicuous from persecution.
I thought this book would be limited to the years of Nazi ruled Germany, but it went beyond these years to explain his experiences after the war as well. All of which continued to capture my attention. His travels to Africa and America reveal more racial bias that he has to overcome and learn to adapt to. It's encouraging to see how he makes it through every obstacle to make it to the US and to where he is now, living the American dream.
While the book reveals a lot about race relations, Massaquoi focuses on other ideas as well, such as relationships. He describes characters from his life, people who have influenced him and helped him, with great stories. These people he describes are very powerful to the book. One of which is his German mother and her infallible love and nurturing for him. It was very touching reading about her and other characters. One of my favorite stories from the reading is when Massaquoi gets caught stealing a toy soldier from a friend and his mother takes him to the police station and she asks "Officer, what do you suggest we do with this boy who has stolen a toy soldier from his friend?" The officer replies, playing along, "I think we should lock him up with the rest of the criminals." And Massaquoi pleads with his mom and officer to let him go, and of course, they "give him one more chance," and he learns his lesson. It's values like this he learns from his mother. He describes all of these people and the effects they have on him in a similar positive light.
On a last note, it's also really interesting to see the long-term effects America and Britain have had on places. While reading I learned so much about the smoking in Germany! As an American living here in Germany, I am constantly blown away by the masses of smokers. Reading Massaquoi made me realize the start to this dirty habit began after WWII where currency was in form of cigarette, and how Americans and the British gave them away like candy! This effect still shows in Germany, where they are today one biggest smoking countries of the world!
I really recommend this book to anyone. It's extremely strong and entertaining.
Massaquoi has had an incredibly moving and interesting life, and tells it all so well. His experiences range over 3 continents, and he has been through both the best and the worst. From his perspective he explains everything in a very modest and unbiased way.
I was most amazed/surprised by his experience through Nazi occupation. Where I thought he would stick out like a sore thumb with no place to hide, he made it through the whole occupation without having to hide. The Germans were so focused on expunging the Jews that he slipped right through the years without too much trouble. Yes, he wasn't accepted, but he wasn't dragged away to a concentration camp either. It was a strong story of his courage and learning to find ways to make himself inconspicuous from persecution.
I thought this book would be limited to the years of Nazi ruled Germany, but it went beyond these years to explain his experiences after the war as well. All of which continued to capture my attention. His travels to Africa and America reveal more racial bias that he has to overcome and learn to adapt to. It's encouraging to see how he makes it through every obstacle to make it to the US and to where he is now, living the American dream.
While the book reveals a lot about race relations, Massaquoi focuses on other ideas as well, such as relationships. He describes characters from his life, people who have influenced him and helped him, with great stories. These people he describes are very powerful to the book. One of which is his German mother and her infallible love and nurturing for him. It was very touching reading about her and other characters. One of my favorite stories from the reading is when Massaquoi gets caught stealing a toy soldier from a friend and his mother takes him to the police station and she asks "Officer, what do you suggest we do with this boy who has stolen a toy soldier from his friend?" The officer replies, playing along, "I think we should lock him up with the rest of the criminals." And Massaquoi pleads with his mom and officer to let him go, and of course, they "give him one more chance," and he learns his lesson. It's values like this he learns from his mother. He describes all of these people and the effects they have on him in a similar positive light.
On a last note, it's also really interesting to see the long-term effects America and Britain have had on places. While reading I learned so much about the smoking in Germany! As an American living here in Germany, I am constantly blown away by the masses of smokers. Reading Massaquoi made me realize the start to this dirty habit began after WWII where currency was in form of cigarette, and how Americans and the British gave them away like candy! This effect still shows in Germany, where they are today one biggest smoking countries of the world!
I really recommend this book to anyone. It's extremely strong and entertaining.
September 1, 2008
I read this book just as it came out, and I never forgot it. You have this young man born in Germany to a German mother and a African diplomat(Liberian). To me, he was treated with indifference and some hatred as a child,sadly, he even wanted to be a Hitler Youth, but he wasn't allowed to join, and even though he was one of the smartest kids in his class, due to Aryan dictates, he was not allowed to attend college or even join the military. He was able to take up a trade as a machinist and AFTER the war, that's when stuff began to look up for him. Because he could speak English, he was able to communicate with the Americans when they took over Germany(with the disapproval of his countrymen), and he met a young man who was German American as well, so because of his looks, folks thought he was an African American serviceman and he was able to ride ALL over Germany for FREE, while regular Germans paid. He was also able to see his father in Liberia and he lived there a while, but finally, his mother's family in America, got him and his mother over there and he has been here ever since.He did ended up serving in the US Army during the Korean War and he worked for Ebony for almost 40 years as an editor, and to my knowledge, he is still living. I believe this is one book EVERYONE on this site should read. Why? well, his is quite a remarkable story and how by the grace of God, one different young man escaped extermination in a country that easily could have yet he lived to tell the tale. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED>>
February 6, 2011
Amazing is the word for this book as it was an amazing miracle that Mr. Massaquoi survived the Nazis and the bombing during the war. Really that he did survive is nothing short of a miracle. To be Jewish, homosexual, Communist or anyone that spoke against the Nazis was to announce your own death. How this apparent lone African-German live through it all is mind blowing. But while he survived it was not all good fortune through out. Many times he brushed with death, himself or his mother and yet they both had the courage to keep on taking one step, one more slogging hard step to live another day. Who knew what tomorrow would bring...To live through Nazi Germany and the war was one thing but to have thrown back in your face all that you struggled for in the United States during segragation. He compared the racism there with Nazi Germany only the difference was that in Nazi Germany it was obvious, in the United States they tried to keep it a hidden guilty secret. Once he asked did it change hearts when segregation ended? likely not. The blind ignorance and hatred towards others that are "diffrent" that don't "fit in" is still alive and thriving today. The face of racial hatred has barely altered in 70 years, barely altered in 100 years or even 1000 years when humanity began to hate its brother and its sister for what was on the surface. There is no easy answer to the question why do we hate only what we can see? Where is the logic to hate another for their skin or their manners? Why can't we love the spirit-the soul? Love for what lies beneath...their is no answer to blind hate, or is because the answer is too easy? Something inside ourselves makes us hate ourselves. Some demon that many would not know exists. Is the mind complicated? Hardly, we complicate ourselves when we are afraid of the answers. Are we afraid of the answers because it takes away any infallability we have of ourselves? Through what ever teaching we have had over the centuries, what ever religion or non religion we have been made to see ourselves as demi-gods. We have to be seen as above animals and in an essense above other human beings. Perhaps it was the only way to survive evolution, perhaps it was the only way to survive life in general. When you look at humans compared to other beings on this planet we are poorly equipped for survival-for the wills of nature. Now it is not so much the wills of nature that govern us it is ourselves. We are in a vice like grip to survive ourselves as we are locked in a combat to murder ourselves as in any chilling away ever thought up during Medieval years and the periods fed by war. By our own hated and blind ignorance we are chillingly murdering ourselves by pollution and the ever present destruction of war that has taken on a "new face" to win. To win, for victory, comes at a price to pay both by the "enemy" and the so-called "forces for good". As during WWII and now we are fighting for "freedom" and "democracy" as we are told by governments and military men via the media. But as Mr. Massaquoi went from Germany, to Africa and to the US all that was banded around about "freedom" and "democracy" frought for and protected eluded him. Men and women were not equal, how could that be freedom? Not all men and women could vote in elections, how could that be democracy? School children were banned from going to certain schools, later four would be brutally murdered in a church, others would protest and sit in jail for days...Freedom, democracy...where? This wasn't long ago, it still exists...where is freedom and democracy? What is it? Somone please explain not out of a text book, tell me what is it that has not been fed to you by teachers and politicans. Does anyone have an answer not subscribed by these things? Likely not.
July 26, 2020
When I first came across this book, I remember being slightly taken aback that this book was even possible. How does a black child living with his single white mother navigate not only Nazi Germany for the duration of the war, but the years leading up to the war as well? Surely someone would have noticed him and singled him out for a fate shared by millions of others during those dark years.
Well, Hans Massaquoi did survive the war and lived to tell his story in this fascinating look at being the ultimate outsider in a virulently racist and homogenous society.
Born to a well off and politically connected Liberian father and a German mother, the author at a young age came to live in Hamburg, Germany. While he was still young his father returned to Liberia, leaving him and his mother to fend for themselves. In the years leading up to the Nazis taking power, Hans lived mostly like any other child. He played, he fought, he encountered relatively little racism about his skin, particularly when his family remained influential.
When his father’s fortunes changed and the Nazis took over however, things became far more bleak.
He began to encounter more hostility from his teachers who would single him out for racist abuse as well as feeling the cold stares of ordinary Germans as he walked down the street with his white German mother. In addition, the constant calculations he had to make as far as what words or actions may or may not have disastrous consequences for himself and his mother on a daily basis must have been exhausting. I can barely conceive of living a life of any kind of normality under those conditions.
A distinguishing and remarkable characteristic of the author however is that no matter how many doors were slammed in his face, no matter how much abuse he suffered, he still loved Germany and considered himself German when nobody else did.
His is a story of wonderful resilience in the face of cruelty and life threatening danger. There is much to admire about him.
This is essentially the first 2/3 of the book.
It is the last 1/3 however that deals with is life after the war is a little more uneven.
With Germany shattered and Hans, like all Germans, unable to find food much less work, begins to run a serious of scams in order to get food and money for himself and his mother. Perhaps it is churlish of me to criticize someone who does whatever they must to survive but at times I felt as if he was bragging about his cleverness in being able to pull these escapades off. When he argues that everyone was dealing in the black market so why shouldn’t he, for example, I found it difficult to take the same satisfaction in his moral relativism as he does.
I also should add that I wasn’t a fan of his detaining his sexual exploits. Congratulations to him (I guess) for bedding as many women as he describes here but it was by far the least interesting part of the book that he often returned too.
All that being said, this is an extremely unique book that provides a glimpse of life under the Nazis that we rarely see. For that alone, its a book well worth reading despite its flaws.
Well, Hans Massaquoi did survive the war and lived to tell his story in this fascinating look at being the ultimate outsider in a virulently racist and homogenous society.
Born to a well off and politically connected Liberian father and a German mother, the author at a young age came to live in Hamburg, Germany. While he was still young his father returned to Liberia, leaving him and his mother to fend for themselves. In the years leading up to the Nazis taking power, Hans lived mostly like any other child. He played, he fought, he encountered relatively little racism about his skin, particularly when his family remained influential.
When his father’s fortunes changed and the Nazis took over however, things became far more bleak.
He began to encounter more hostility from his teachers who would single him out for racist abuse as well as feeling the cold stares of ordinary Germans as he walked down the street with his white German mother. In addition, the constant calculations he had to make as far as what words or actions may or may not have disastrous consequences for himself and his mother on a daily basis must have been exhausting. I can barely conceive of living a life of any kind of normality under those conditions.
A distinguishing and remarkable characteristic of the author however is that no matter how many doors were slammed in his face, no matter how much abuse he suffered, he still loved Germany and considered himself German when nobody else did.
His is a story of wonderful resilience in the face of cruelty and life threatening danger. There is much to admire about him.
This is essentially the first 2/3 of the book.
It is the last 1/3 however that deals with is life after the war is a little more uneven.
With Germany shattered and Hans, like all Germans, unable to find food much less work, begins to run a serious of scams in order to get food and money for himself and his mother. Perhaps it is churlish of me to criticize someone who does whatever they must to survive but at times I felt as if he was bragging about his cleverness in being able to pull these escapades off. When he argues that everyone was dealing in the black market so why shouldn’t he, for example, I found it difficult to take the same satisfaction in his moral relativism as he does.
I also should add that I wasn’t a fan of his detaining his sexual exploits. Congratulations to him (I guess) for bedding as many women as he describes here but it was by far the least interesting part of the book that he often returned too.
All that being said, this is an extremely unique book that provides a glimpse of life under the Nazis that we rarely see. For that alone, its a book well worth reading despite its flaws.
March 18, 2015
I wanted to love this book because I found the subject fascinating BUT the author did his own story a disservice by the way that he dragged the minutiae of his life on and on and and on (IMO) and didn't delve deep enough into his life as a black child in Nazi Germany. Despite it's length, the book left me wanting more.
January 13, 2021
This may be the most enjoyable memoir that I have ever read. It is able to be informative and entertaining without being preachy or self-glamourizing. Hans-Juergen Massaquoi's autobiography about living as a young black man in Nazi Germany is a coming of age story in a very turbulent time. He is many things: a devoted son, a German national, a Hamburger (a resident of Hamburg not the delicious food) all while navigating childhood and adolescence.
In a monocultural society, Germany in the 1930s and 1940s, Hans stands out. He is the offspring of a Liberian born national father and a white German mother. His grandfather was literally a king of the Vais, a people in his native Liberia. During his early childhood, Hans is quite pampered and lives the life of a princeling- he is the center of much activity. When his grandfather and immediate paternal family are called back to Liberia, Hans is thrusted into a middle class existence. This would be his first but certainly not last disturbance in his life.
A recurring theme of this book is just when Hans is getting adjusted to a situation, the calculus changes. The ultimate cataclysm, the rise and fall of the Nazi party in his native Germany coincides with much of his youth. Hans like most young people just wants to fit in. As a tyke, this takes the form of attending rallies, playing with tin soldiers and even affixing a swatstika to his shirt. Though, Hans is aware he looks different from his fellow playmates he does not want to act or be treated differently.
Not surprisingly, this being Nazi Germany Hans meets many baddies along his journey. There is the fanatic principal who goes out of his way to sleight him at every turn, there is the teacher who states after the Jews are taken care of he will be next and there are the classmates who verbally and physically assault him. Later on in his life, there are employees he can not trust including one who makes up lies about him denigrating the Nazi cause which if reported to the proper authorities could have him exterminated. There is a boss who blackmails him into doing the most menial tasks on his only day off. Along with this, there is the constant vigilance, that Hans must abide, as using the wrong tone or being at the wrong place at the wrong time could have dire circumstances. It is living with this constant weight, the constant pressure that is most damning for him.
The most pleasing aspect of this journey is just the amount of good and decent folk, that Hans comes in contact with. Whether fair or not, Germans during the time of the Nazi occupation are often depicted as heartless plunderers who welcomed their Aryan overlords. Though there were certainly collaborators and many hideous people, we are able to see that a sizable proportion, at least in Hans' experience were kind, hardworking and in some cases heroic. The number of proponents, which we encounter is impressive. Whether it is the teacher who assigns Hans an older protector and writes a glowing report card or the man (Rudi) who teaches him the fine art of pugilism, Hans is blessed. Another aspect that intrigued me was the often open contempt of the Nazis by the citizenry. There were many instances, especially among older inhabitants, where Hans shows that Nazis including Hitler were ridiculed and mocked. These were amplified, after the bombing which devastated, Hamburg in July of 1943. Many histories of this time seem to omit, that though the Nazis espoused a totalitarian regime, there were many internal fissures throughout their reign.
Overall, this memoir was fascinating and provided an unique perspective from a devastating time. There is so much that can be unpacked and I fear this review is too brief and incomplete to do this great piece of work justice. Even the last third of the book which deals with the authors travels to Africa and the United States is well detailed and could be given the royal treatment. If I were to take one thing about this book it would be the fairness exhibited by the author. Even through all the trying times he has endured he is able to be fair and just.
In a monocultural society, Germany in the 1930s and 1940s, Hans stands out. He is the offspring of a Liberian born national father and a white German mother. His grandfather was literally a king of the Vais, a people in his native Liberia. During his early childhood, Hans is quite pampered and lives the life of a princeling- he is the center of much activity. When his grandfather and immediate paternal family are called back to Liberia, Hans is thrusted into a middle class existence. This would be his first but certainly not last disturbance in his life.
A recurring theme of this book is just when Hans is getting adjusted to a situation, the calculus changes. The ultimate cataclysm, the rise and fall of the Nazi party in his native Germany coincides with much of his youth. Hans like most young people just wants to fit in. As a tyke, this takes the form of attending rallies, playing with tin soldiers and even affixing a swatstika to his shirt. Though, Hans is aware he looks different from his fellow playmates he does not want to act or be treated differently.
Not surprisingly, this being Nazi Germany Hans meets many baddies along his journey. There is the fanatic principal who goes out of his way to sleight him at every turn, there is the teacher who states after the Jews are taken care of he will be next and there are the classmates who verbally and physically assault him. Later on in his life, there are employees he can not trust including one who makes up lies about him denigrating the Nazi cause which if reported to the proper authorities could have him exterminated. There is a boss who blackmails him into doing the most menial tasks on his only day off. Along with this, there is the constant vigilance, that Hans must abide, as using the wrong tone or being at the wrong place at the wrong time could have dire circumstances. It is living with this constant weight, the constant pressure that is most damning for him.
The most pleasing aspect of this journey is just the amount of good and decent folk, that Hans comes in contact with. Whether fair or not, Germans during the time of the Nazi occupation are often depicted as heartless plunderers who welcomed their Aryan overlords. Though there were certainly collaborators and many hideous people, we are able to see that a sizable proportion, at least in Hans' experience were kind, hardworking and in some cases heroic. The number of proponents, which we encounter is impressive. Whether it is the teacher who assigns Hans an older protector and writes a glowing report card or the man (Rudi) who teaches him the fine art of pugilism, Hans is blessed. Another aspect that intrigued me was the often open contempt of the Nazis by the citizenry. There were many instances, especially among older inhabitants, where Hans shows that Nazis including Hitler were ridiculed and mocked. These were amplified, after the bombing which devastated, Hamburg in July of 1943. Many histories of this time seem to omit, that though the Nazis espoused a totalitarian regime, there were many internal fissures throughout their reign.
Overall, this memoir was fascinating and provided an unique perspective from a devastating time. There is so much that can be unpacked and I fear this review is too brief and incomplete to do this great piece of work justice. Even the last third of the book which deals with the authors travels to Africa and the United States is well detailed and could be given the royal treatment. If I were to take one thing about this book it would be the fairness exhibited by the author. Even through all the trying times he has endured he is able to be fair and just.
March 7, 2012
I read this years ago and all I can say is it is an amazing story! Who even knew that the disgusting arm of Nazi-ism and tragedy extended to blacks in Germany. When you think of that time period, you don’t even think blacks into the equation but I guess one should. Everyone of any minority was effected by the nature of the situation. This book gives a completely different point of view and experience. It is also a story of overcoming the odds while being the odd one in the midst of it all. I recommend this book to everyone. It’s a story you just have to hear.
September 21, 2025
There are an uncountable number of books about WW2 and just as many that cover Hitler and the Nazi regime. While I can’t say I have read my fair share, I can also say I’d never think I’d be reading one about a Black person whom as a child literally was living in it and came out alive to tell his tale. Given the fact he was born in Germany, raised in Germany, spoke fluent German, and skin color aside was probably as ‘volk’ as his fair-skinned mates, he thus probably fell so far out of the brunt of the Nazi aggression against the eternal ‘other’ that people simply had no idea what to do with him. Half Liberian, half German, a youth during the height of WW2, living in Germany, Black. This is a story worth telling.
What others may have noted, I have to echo: this is an at-times cloyingly optimistic look at life in Nazi Germany as a young boy. On one hand, one almost gets a The Boy in the Striped Pajamas vibe through parts of it as our author when he was that age really did seem to deep down know that he may have been different, was treated differently (and often negatively), but somehow things would be OK in the end. Obviously, for Germany, this was not the case and obviously for us readers, it is important to keep in mind we essentially are being placed in the shoes of someone who is so beyond the norm different and unique yet also native that even the intense racial hatred the regime is known for and the re-wiring of its citizens still shorted a circuit when attempting to figure out how exactly to treat poor Hans-Jürgen.
So yes, keep that—the intense optimism—in mind. Young Hans-Jürgen Massaquoi may have “liked” the Nazi regime, did not see Hitler as that bad as a guy, and did his best to fit in, but given his extremely unique situation, this seems like a perfectly normal way for someone like him to live his life. It also may come as little surprise given his background that he frankly did not have too many interactions with Jews. Yes, he was raised to hate them, but thankfully as noted in his book, the few times his life intersected with them led him to feel confused more than anything else: (paraphrasing) “I’m told to hate these people, but they seem alright to me.”
Where Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany shines most is less in the years leading up to WW2 or even the actual years of the war itself, but the almost wild west vibe that took over life in Germany in the years immediately following. As a reader, this is one era I don’t know too much about and the ground floor look at what one had to do to survive was equal parts depressing and fascinating. For those familiar with postwar Japan, the travails of Hans in 1946 Germany are pretty similar. You did what you had to do to survive in era where it was packs of cigarettes (or cartons if you were loaded!) that opened doors and became the lifeblood of commerce.
Furthermore continued on the postwar theme, Hans-Jürgen Massaquoi with this mixed background almost overnight went from liability to asset; he knew enough English to fool those (for a bit) thinking he was an odd American, Germans suddenly thus saw him not as a lesser human (if that), but someone who could help open doors normally closed. Overnight “Aryan” lost meaning to be replaced post-haste with “melting pot”. One can say though as the book shifted gears from Germany’s postwar identity crisis to a strange man in a strange land (first Liberia and later, USA), it almost felt like another autobiography began. For those who really just want to focus on the German aspects, these chapters can feel out of place, but it still was more interesting than I thought to hear about Hans trying to make do under the watchful eyes of his decades-long absentee mogul of a father.
What others may have noted, I have to echo: this is an at-times cloyingly optimistic look at life in Nazi Germany as a young boy. On one hand, one almost gets a The Boy in the Striped Pajamas vibe through parts of it as our author when he was that age really did seem to deep down know that he may have been different, was treated differently (and often negatively), but somehow things would be OK in the end. Obviously, for Germany, this was not the case and obviously for us readers, it is important to keep in mind we essentially are being placed in the shoes of someone who is so beyond the norm different and unique yet also native that even the intense racial hatred the regime is known for and the re-wiring of its citizens still shorted a circuit when attempting to figure out how exactly to treat poor Hans-Jürgen.
So yes, keep that—the intense optimism—in mind. Young Hans-Jürgen Massaquoi may have “liked” the Nazi regime, did not see Hitler as that bad as a guy, and did his best to fit in, but given his extremely unique situation, this seems like a perfectly normal way for someone like him to live his life. It also may come as little surprise given his background that he frankly did not have too many interactions with Jews. Yes, he was raised to hate them, but thankfully as noted in his book, the few times his life intersected with them led him to feel confused more than anything else: (paraphrasing) “I’m told to hate these people, but they seem alright to me.”
Where Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany shines most is less in the years leading up to WW2 or even the actual years of the war itself, but the almost wild west vibe that took over life in Germany in the years immediately following. As a reader, this is one era I don’t know too much about and the ground floor look at what one had to do to survive was equal parts depressing and fascinating. For those familiar with postwar Japan, the travails of Hans in 1946 Germany are pretty similar. You did what you had to do to survive in era where it was packs of cigarettes (or cartons if you were loaded!) that opened doors and became the lifeblood of commerce.
Furthermore continued on the postwar theme, Hans-Jürgen Massaquoi with this mixed background almost overnight went from liability to asset; he knew enough English to fool those (for a bit) thinking he was an odd American, Germans suddenly thus saw him not as a lesser human (if that), but someone who could help open doors normally closed. Overnight “Aryan” lost meaning to be replaced post-haste with “melting pot”. One can say though as the book shifted gears from Germany’s postwar identity crisis to a strange man in a strange land (first Liberia and later, USA), it almost felt like another autobiography began. For those who really just want to focus on the German aspects, these chapters can feel out of place, but it still was more interesting than I thought to hear about Hans trying to make do under the watchful eyes of his decades-long absentee mogul of a father.
July 7, 2009
Very interesting. I scary thing is that I can relate so much to some chapters, while obviously in others it is just too extreme and amazing. It is a unique history in many aspects but the fantastic thing about the main character is that he finds his way to black identity where many others suffering what he has suffered most likely would start to doubt themselves to eventually give up pride for self hatred, out of survival instinct. Instead he joins the civil rights' movement, goes on to serve it and later to serve the one ground breaking magazine, Ebony, which always claimed that except beautiful, black is also progressive, and that the very concept of proving it can be lucrative. His story is scary but very fascinating. I wouldn't want to be where he has been, but I am grateful for haven been given the opportunity to take a peek in to what it would have (or could have) been like, growing up in Nazy Germany, looking something like I do.
March 22, 2013
What to say about this book ... It tells a non-story. There was no climax, no major defining events. I'm not discrediting anything that Hans went through in Nazi Germany. He grew up in a very tenuous time and had to overcome much discrimination as the only African male in his fair skinned, blond haired, blue eyed community. He just doesn't know how to tell it. The book reads as a much too long, emotionless series of diary entries ... Today I woke up and this happened. Then I went here and did this ... There just wasn't anything compelling enough to hold my attention for 480 pages. In fact, the part of his life I think would have made the best story -- how he progressed from a poor, minimally educated, blue collar machinist to a successful magazine editor interviewing some of the most powerful and influential people in the world, isn't covered at all.
April 15, 2010
The premise has promise, and indeed, Massaquoi is witness to momentous history. He is only, however, a witness. He seems to think that the accident of his identity endows him with some some great and original truth; it doesn't. 440 pages of brow-beating self-sympathizing culminate in a generic and unoriginal call against prejudice - a noble resolution, to be sure, but hardly worth the gratingly slow and painfully overwrought prose preceding, which seems mainly designed to show how clever the writer is (and detailing every sordid detail of his sexual exploits). The point is well-taken, but badly made; I don't need to sit through this sort of self-indulgent self-reporting to know that Hitler is bad and diversity is good.
February 15, 2017
Fascinating story! Hans Massaquoi was the son of a German mother and a Liberian father. His father returns to Liberia for political reasons and essentially abandons his family in Germany as the Nazis are rising to power. Hans learns at an early age that he is different from the other children and is treated as a lesser citizen. Looming behind this racism is the very real fear of what the Nazis are likely to do to him given the opportunity.
August 20, 2024
I was skeptical when he started by telling us how everyone begged him to write his memoirs but you know what? I need a sequel! Great damn memoir!
May 17, 2013
I found this book at the library and was very interested to hear the personal account of someone who was black, not only living in, but growing up in Nazi Germany. Wow, is all I can say. This book is written so naturally, you really feel like you were there growing up with Hans. Every chapter, every paragraph, every sentence is insightful and interesting - I could not put this book down.
Here is a remarkable person (from a remarkable family) who experienced so many momentus, unforgetable experiences; from the shamefully degrading,to dismal and despair,to young happy romance, and that's just the beginning.
I am completely captivated by this book. It's not all dark like I expected it to be and has humor and uplifting moments throughout- an amazing story.
I was constantly astounded by the countless obstacles that kept popping up and that he has gotten through time and time again, no matter the level of severity, all very interesting. This is a story of achieving your dreams no matter what the situation looks like if ever there was one.
Like I said, this was a library book so it has to be returned (I almost don't want to being as though it's a hardback and I can not find any hard backs of this book anywhere.)but I will be out to the bookstore to get my own. It is must for my personal library.
P.s.
I just found out that Hans J. Massaquoi has passed away this year (January 19, 2013) on his birthday. God bless the soul of this remarkable, inspiring individual. I'm very glad and grateful that I was able to hear his story. R.I.P. Hans.
Here is a remarkable person (from a remarkable family) who experienced so many momentus, unforgetable experiences; from the shamefully degrading,to dismal and despair,to young happy romance, and that's just the beginning.
I am completely captivated by this book. It's not all dark like I expected it to be and has humor and uplifting moments throughout- an amazing story.
I was constantly astounded by the countless obstacles that kept popping up and that he has gotten through time and time again, no matter the level of severity, all very interesting. This is a story of achieving your dreams no matter what the situation looks like if ever there was one.
Like I said, this was a library book so it has to be returned (I almost don't want to being as though it's a hardback and I can not find any hard backs of this book anywhere.)but I will be out to the bookstore to get my own. It is must for my personal library.
P.s.
I just found out that Hans J. Massaquoi has passed away this year (January 19, 2013) on his birthday. God bless the soul of this remarkable, inspiring individual. I'm very glad and grateful that I was able to hear his story. R.I.P. Hans.
November 9, 2011
What an interesting book - a biography. Hans Massaquoi is the son of a German woman and a Liberian man - growing up black in Hitler's Germany. Lots of details about living in Germany during WWII and later in Liberia and then the U.S. A very different perspective on life in WWII and postwar Germany.
September 19, 2010
What a life changing book. I couldnt even begin to describe the impact it has made and I encourage anybody who is even remotely interested to read it for themselves :)
August 14, 2015
Incredibly interesting. I'm glad to have read a memoir from someone that is similar to me from this era.
April 29, 2023
Leider hat der Lektor einen sehr schlechten Job gemacht, denn die Sätze sind auffallend häufig parataktisch und strotzen vor Partizipial- und Passivkonstruktionen, weshalb die eigentlich hochspannende Geschichte stellenweise sperrig daherkommt.
Eigentlich hätte ich einen Stern mehr abziehen müssen, weil der Autor den Teil zu seinem Leben in Amerika enttäuschend kurzgehalten hat. Es wäre interessant gewesen, wenn der Leser erfahren hätte, wie Massaquoi es gegen alle Widerstände geschafft hat, in Amerika Fuß zu fassen. Leider handelt er den entscheidenden Zeitraum auf einer halben Seite stark verkürzt ab und verfällt dann schließlich auch noch in einen recht platten und belehrenden Philosophierstil, obwohl seine Erzählung eigentlich schon für sich spricht. Es ist ihm somit nicht gelungen, seine dramatische Autobiographie perfekt abzurunden.
Dennoch ist Massaquois Zeugnis außergewöhnlich packend, denn es hat sowohl eine tieftraurige Seite und zugleich ermunternde, manchmal gar witzige Aspekte, die den Eindruck von menschlicher Tiefe erzeugen und meine Auffassung von guter Literatur erfüllen. Ich empfehle das Buch jedem, der sich für inspiriende Erzählungen von Menschen interessiert, die sich durch die Härten des Lebens kämpfen und dabei weder ihre Hoffnung noch ihren Humor verlieren. Darüber hinaus hat Massaquoi einen wohl einzigartigen Zeitzeugenbericht über den Alltag als Schwarzer in Deutschland während und kurz nach der NS-Zeit geliefert.
Eigentlich hätte ich einen Stern mehr abziehen müssen, weil der Autor den Teil zu seinem Leben in Amerika enttäuschend kurzgehalten hat. Es wäre interessant gewesen, wenn der Leser erfahren hätte, wie Massaquoi es gegen alle Widerstände geschafft hat, in Amerika Fuß zu fassen. Leider handelt er den entscheidenden Zeitraum auf einer halben Seite stark verkürzt ab und verfällt dann schließlich auch noch in einen recht platten und belehrenden Philosophierstil, obwohl seine Erzählung eigentlich schon für sich spricht. Es ist ihm somit nicht gelungen, seine dramatische Autobiographie perfekt abzurunden.
Dennoch ist Massaquois Zeugnis außergewöhnlich packend, denn es hat sowohl eine tieftraurige Seite und zugleich ermunternde, manchmal gar witzige Aspekte, die den Eindruck von menschlicher Tiefe erzeugen und meine Auffassung von guter Literatur erfüllen. Ich empfehle das Buch jedem, der sich für inspiriende Erzählungen von Menschen interessiert, die sich durch die Härten des Lebens kämpfen und dabei weder ihre Hoffnung noch ihren Humor verlieren. Darüber hinaus hat Massaquoi einen wohl einzigartigen Zeitzeugenbericht über den Alltag als Schwarzer in Deutschland während und kurz nach der NS-Zeit geliefert.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2024
Hans-Jürgen urodził się w 1926 roku w Hamburgu jako syn niemieckiej pomocy pielęgniarskiej i syna liberyjskiego dyplomaty. Dziadek Hansa był pierwszym afrykańskim konsulem w Niemczech, byłym królem i osobą wyjątkowo ciekawą. To właśnie z nim chłopczyk spędzał najwięcej czasu. Niestety ta sielanka prędko się skończyła, gdy do władzy zaczęła się dobierać partia nazistowska.
Ciąg dalszy: https://przeczytalamksiazke.blogspot....
Ciąg dalszy: https://przeczytalamksiazke.blogspot....
June 16, 2020
My Man!
December 16, 2009
I think you should read this book if you're interested in hearing a pretty unique and unlikely story about Nazi Germany. I started typing and spat up this longish summary, I guess if it's intriguing at all you should look into getting the book.
Imagine you're a little black boy growing up in Nazi Germany. Everyday you eat messages about the superiority of the Aryan race. You go to zoos where Africans are on exhibit living in their "natural habitats." Your white mother loses her job because of you, in birthing you she has disrespected the purity of her blood, and your father is not around. All of your classmates are eligible and required to become members of Hitler's Youth. You alone are denied, on the basis of your dark skin and sheep-like hair. In time you will be denied a higher education, freedom to play in playgrounds, and basic human respect.
As the years pass food becomes more and more scarce. People disappear. You are not allowed to register for the army and are told Germany will never be desperate enough to need to efforts of "you people." Later you'll realize the end of the Nazi-regime must be near, because you will be forced to serve, despite your inferiority. Growing up you have many conflicting feelings, as you've loved and worshiped Hitler for most of your life, but it becomes increasingly clear that as soon as the much larger "Jewish problem" is solved, your ass will be on the line, and that this man has very evil intentions.
Your teacher takes you to the Olympics, where you see Jesse Owens debunk the myth of Aryan superiority. Some say this is because like animals, blacks can be trained, and don't have to balance physicality with the intellectual distractions Aryans experience. Still, you have a new sense of pride.
Somehow you survive all of this. The Allied forces show up. You find all sorts of companionship with black soldiers, you've never seen so many black people in your life. Your honeymoon ends quickly, and you become disgusted that your so-called liberators still live in segregation, with fear of their own country-men. Finally you get in touch with your father, who is something of a Liberian big-shot. You go to Liberia, a free black country. You also visit to Nigeria, still under British rule. You sample so many of the different flavors of racism.
Then you go to America and wind up drafted for the US Army. Eventually you become a major editor for Ebony magazine.
Imagine you're a little black boy growing up in Nazi Germany. Everyday you eat messages about the superiority of the Aryan race. You go to zoos where Africans are on exhibit living in their "natural habitats." Your white mother loses her job because of you, in birthing you she has disrespected the purity of her blood, and your father is not around. All of your classmates are eligible and required to become members of Hitler's Youth. You alone are denied, on the basis of your dark skin and sheep-like hair. In time you will be denied a higher education, freedom to play in playgrounds, and basic human respect.
As the years pass food becomes more and more scarce. People disappear. You are not allowed to register for the army and are told Germany will never be desperate enough to need to efforts of "you people." Later you'll realize the end of the Nazi-regime must be near, because you will be forced to serve, despite your inferiority. Growing up you have many conflicting feelings, as you've loved and worshiped Hitler for most of your life, but it becomes increasingly clear that as soon as the much larger "Jewish problem" is solved, your ass will be on the line, and that this man has very evil intentions.
Your teacher takes you to the Olympics, where you see Jesse Owens debunk the myth of Aryan superiority. Some say this is because like animals, blacks can be trained, and don't have to balance physicality with the intellectual distractions Aryans experience. Still, you have a new sense of pride.
Somehow you survive all of this. The Allied forces show up. You find all sorts of companionship with black soldiers, you've never seen so many black people in your life. Your honeymoon ends quickly, and you become disgusted that your so-called liberators still live in segregation, with fear of their own country-men. Finally you get in touch with your father, who is something of a Liberian big-shot. You go to Liberia, a free black country. You also visit to Nigeria, still under British rule. You sample so many of the different flavors of racism.
Then you go to America and wind up drafted for the US Army. Eventually you become a major editor for Ebony magazine.
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