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Ausländer: One family's story of escape and exile
'Profoundly moving' ANDREW MARR
'Deeply personal' SUNDAY TIMES
'A shout from history that we cannot ignore' THE IRISH TIMES
Sorting through papers and photographs after his mother's death, Michael Moritz uncovers the history of close family members murdered by the Nazis. Exploring their journey takes him into a past of tragedy, grief and the dark shadows cast on Jewish life by the Holocaust.
Leaving Germany as child refugees, Moritz's parents escape to London before settling in Cardiff, Wales, after the war. But the idea of being a stranger or outsider - Ausländer - haunts the family; running through Moritz's childhood and resurfacing in his adopted home of California, where he has become one of Silicon Valley's
most celebrated investors.
'As the shadows of Trump lengthened, the refrain I had heard from my parents rang ever more loudly ... "If it did happen somewhere, it can happen here".'
Disturbingly relevant to contemporary America, Ausländer shows what can happen to families when
ordinary people hand licence to despots.
'Deeply personal' SUNDAY TIMES
'A shout from history that we cannot ignore' THE IRISH TIMES
Sorting through papers and photographs after his mother's death, Michael Moritz uncovers the history of close family members murdered by the Nazis. Exploring their journey takes him into a past of tragedy, grief and the dark shadows cast on Jewish life by the Holocaust.
Leaving Germany as child refugees, Moritz's parents escape to London before settling in Cardiff, Wales, after the war. But the idea of being a stranger or outsider - Ausländer - haunts the family; running through Moritz's childhood and resurfacing in his adopted home of California, where he has become one of Silicon Valley's
most celebrated investors.
'As the shadows of Trump lengthened, the refrain I had heard from my parents rang ever more loudly ... "If it did happen somewhere, it can happen here".'
Disturbingly relevant to contemporary America, Ausländer shows what can happen to families when
ordinary people hand licence to despots.
312 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 22, 2026
About the author
Michael Moritz
36 books25 followersThere are several authors with this name
This author:
Michael^Moritz
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Michael^^Moritz: Michael Moritz
Sir Michael Jonathan Moritz KBE is a Welsh billionaire venture capitalist, philanthropist, author, and former journalist. Moritz works for Sequoia Capital, wrote the first history of Apple Inc., The Little Kingdom, and authored Going for Broke: Lee Iacocca's Battle to Save Chrysler. Previously, Moritz was a staff writer at Time magazine and a member of the board of directors of Google. He studied at the University of Oxford and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and went on to found Technologic Partners before becoming a venture capitalist in the 1980s. Moritz was named as the No. 1 venture capitalist on the Forbes Midas List in 2006 and 2007.
This author:
Michael^Moritz
Other authors with same name:
Michael^^Moritz: Michael Moritz
Sir Michael Jonathan Moritz KBE is a Welsh billionaire venture capitalist, philanthropist, author, and former journalist. Moritz works for Sequoia Capital, wrote the first history of Apple Inc., The Little Kingdom, and authored Going for Broke: Lee Iacocca's Battle to Save Chrysler. Previously, Moritz was a staff writer at Time magazine and a member of the board of directors of Google. He studied at the University of Oxford and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and went on to found Technologic Partners before becoming a venture capitalist in the 1980s. Moritz was named as the No. 1 venture capitalist on the Forbes Midas List in 2006 and 2007.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
August 30, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐ The Questions We Never Think to Ask
I received Ausländer by Michael Moritz through NetGalley as an audiobook, and since I also had the ebook, I read and listened at the same time. I initially expected something closer to a Holocaust memoir or family history, but the book gradually revealed itself as something more personal and less conventional. At its strongest, Ausländer is about memory, inherited history, and the questions we fail to ask our parents until it is too late. Moritz is not simply reconstructing what happened to his family. He is trying to understand why his parents became who they were and, through them, why he became who he is.
That was the part of the book that resonated with me most. Moritz repeatedly returns to the regret of not knowing more about his parents while they were alive, and there is something painfully recognizable in that. He writes about trying to answer the “thousands of questions” he never asked, and that idea gave the memoir its strongest emotional center for me. His memories of Alfred and Doris, along with the documents and photographs he inherited, create a real sense of history being passed from one generation to the next. I also came to appreciate that the book is less a traditional Holocaust memoir than a meditation on belonging, exile, and the lingering effects of displacement. His parents escaped Nazi Germany and later saw themselves not as Holocaust survivors, but as refugees who had managed to get out and rebuild their lives in Britain.
Where the book became more difficult for me was in its structure. Moritz writes associatively, allowing one memory to lead into another, often moving across decades and generations without much chronological emphasis. I understand why he does this. Memory rarely arrives in a neat sequence, and the book itself is built around the way the past intrudes on the present. Still, I often wished for a clearer and more sustained account of his parents’ lives. I wanted to know more about who they were not only as refugees from Germany, but also as people who lived through the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and beyond. The extended family history is often interesting, but at times it pulled attention away from Alfred and Doris, who were the people I most wanted to understand. The book also becomes repetitive in places, which made the nonlinear structure feel even more pronounced.
My biggest disappointment came near the end. I had expected the final chapter to return to the emotional questions that had given the memoir its meaning, perhaps with some reflection on how we connect with our parents and loved ones while we still have the chance. Instead, the book shifts into a much more polemical discussion of Donald Trump, contemporary America, antisemitism, and Moritz’s fears about the political climate. The thematic connection is understandable. His family history clearly shapes the way he views authoritarianism and his own sense of safety, and he eventually connects those fears to his decision to apply for German citizenship. Still, the tone felt jarring to me. By that point, I felt I had been reading an intimate memoir about parents, memory, regret, and belonging, and the extended political commentary pulled me away from the part of the book I had found most affecting. I did not object to Moritz having those views. I simply felt that the emphasis changed so dramatically that it weakened the memoir’s conclusion.
The idea of belonging ultimately became more interesting to me than the Holocaust material itself. Moritz writes that neither Britain nor America truly feels like home, despite having citizenship in both places, and that his parents’ original sense of home had been permanently lost. That, more than anything, is what I took away from Ausländer. This is a book about what happens when family history leaves you rooted in several places while never feeling entirely at home in any of them.
I would recommend Ausländer most to readers interested in memoirs about parents, family memory, refugee identity, and the way inherited history shapes later generations. It is thoughtful and at times moving, though readers who prefer a chronological narrative may find the structure frustrating. For me, the most memorable part was not the broader political argument or even the historical material, but the quieter realization that once our parents are gone, there are questions we can never go back and ask.
Thank you to NetGalley, author Michael Moritz, and rb Media for an Advanced Audio Copy in exchange for an honest review.
#Ausländer #NetGalley
I received Ausländer by Michael Moritz through NetGalley as an audiobook, and since I also had the ebook, I read and listened at the same time. I initially expected something closer to a Holocaust memoir or family history, but the book gradually revealed itself as something more personal and less conventional. At its strongest, Ausländer is about memory, inherited history, and the questions we fail to ask our parents until it is too late. Moritz is not simply reconstructing what happened to his family. He is trying to understand why his parents became who they were and, through them, why he became who he is.
That was the part of the book that resonated with me most. Moritz repeatedly returns to the regret of not knowing more about his parents while they were alive, and there is something painfully recognizable in that. He writes about trying to answer the “thousands of questions” he never asked, and that idea gave the memoir its strongest emotional center for me. His memories of Alfred and Doris, along with the documents and photographs he inherited, create a real sense of history being passed from one generation to the next. I also came to appreciate that the book is less a traditional Holocaust memoir than a meditation on belonging, exile, and the lingering effects of displacement. His parents escaped Nazi Germany and later saw themselves not as Holocaust survivors, but as refugees who had managed to get out and rebuild their lives in Britain.
Where the book became more difficult for me was in its structure. Moritz writes associatively, allowing one memory to lead into another, often moving across decades and generations without much chronological emphasis. I understand why he does this. Memory rarely arrives in a neat sequence, and the book itself is built around the way the past intrudes on the present. Still, I often wished for a clearer and more sustained account of his parents’ lives. I wanted to know more about who they were not only as refugees from Germany, but also as people who lived through the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and beyond. The extended family history is often interesting, but at times it pulled attention away from Alfred and Doris, who were the people I most wanted to understand. The book also becomes repetitive in places, which made the nonlinear structure feel even more pronounced.
My biggest disappointment came near the end. I had expected the final chapter to return to the emotional questions that had given the memoir its meaning, perhaps with some reflection on how we connect with our parents and loved ones while we still have the chance. Instead, the book shifts into a much more polemical discussion of Donald Trump, contemporary America, antisemitism, and Moritz’s fears about the political climate. The thematic connection is understandable. His family history clearly shapes the way he views authoritarianism and his own sense of safety, and he eventually connects those fears to his decision to apply for German citizenship. Still, the tone felt jarring to me. By that point, I felt I had been reading an intimate memoir about parents, memory, regret, and belonging, and the extended political commentary pulled me away from the part of the book I had found most affecting. I did not object to Moritz having those views. I simply felt that the emphasis changed so dramatically that it weakened the memoir’s conclusion.
The idea of belonging ultimately became more interesting to me than the Holocaust material itself. Moritz writes that neither Britain nor America truly feels like home, despite having citizenship in both places, and that his parents’ original sense of home had been permanently lost. That, more than anything, is what I took away from Ausländer. This is a book about what happens when family history leaves you rooted in several places while never feeling entirely at home in any of them.
I would recommend Ausländer most to readers interested in memoirs about parents, family memory, refugee identity, and the way inherited history shapes later generations. It is thoughtful and at times moving, though readers who prefer a chronological narrative may find the structure frustrating. For me, the most memorable part was not the broader political argument or even the historical material, but the quieter realization that once our parents are gone, there are questions we can never go back and ask.
Thank you to NetGalley, author Michael Moritz, and rb Media for an Advanced Audio Copy in exchange for an honest review.
#Ausländer #NetGalley
September 11, 2026
This was a fascinating retelling of the past and a delicate, complicated history that, unfortunately, still feels remarkably relevant in light of events unfolding today. It is a powerful reminder of how the lessons of history continue to resonate—and why these stories still need to be told.
Thank you to #Netgalley and #RBMEDIA for this ARC
Thank you to #Netgalley and #RBMEDIA for this ARC
February 15, 2026
Irrespective of one’s background, this books makes the reader reconnect with one’s past in a fascinating way.
September 19, 2026
An accomplished journalist, a venture capitalist billionaire, and an extraordinary author, Michael Moritz lifts his pen to tell his own family's story. It is so very personal and intimate—full of details and special moments, yet deals with universal themes of home and belonging, being an outsider, facing obstacles and enjoying triumphs that we can all relate to. His parents and grandparents on both sides form the core of the story, or I should say stories, because his maternal and paternal grandparents were both from Germany, but lived very different lives, and their reactions to the rise of Hitler took different paths. Moritz dips in and out of the history and takes care to illuminate so many details and vigniettes that make the story so captivating. The author's experiences ,as seen in his own resumé, perhaps give us an idea of how he developed the keen insights and knowledge of humanity that makes this book really special. We see a complicated Holocaust story, with escape and entrapment, hate against Jews in Germany, and prejudice against German Jews in Great Britain for their nationality (as Japanese-Americans were persecuted and confined in our own country.) Truly a unique look at a family story.
August 20, 2026
Don’t read this book and weep; read this book and shout.
September 9, 2026
Buildings can resemble people: their exteriors say nothing and explain less. It's what happens inside - sometimes deeply buried - that matters.
![Profile Image for Kuu [semi-ia for china reasons].](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1725785181i/108391134._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg)
September 1, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ALC.
Oh no, I'm on a mid books spell lately... That's what happens when I pick books exclusively based on author, cover or (in this case) title without reading the blurb (though tbf I did read the blurb and just expected something else).
With this memoir, I expected more... ponderings on Jewish identity. More of "One Family's Story of Escape and Exile", which is this book's subtitle. Just... less about the guy, and more about his family, I guess, which might be my fault because this very much is a memoir written by The Guy so it makes sense that he talks a lot about himself. It just sadly wasn't what I wanted, and that might be fully on me, because I notice that I tend to go into memoirs that deal with historical or sociopolitical issues, and then I kind of, subconsciously, expect them to be a social science reckoning, with theory and analyses to ponder, when usually, they're just... this is me, that happened, and I felt this way. Which is totally fine! That's what a memoir is! I just keep having different hopes.
I do think that you would enjoy this book if you are interested in post-WWII Jewish identity, especially that of a Third Culture Kid that (feels like he) remained the perpetual Ausländer. For fans of memoirs without all the fancy social science stuff, this would probably be a really great read! In this case, definitely I can say, it's not you, it's me.
Oh no, I'm on a mid books spell lately... That's what happens when I pick books exclusively based on author, cover or (in this case) title without reading the blurb (though tbf I did read the blurb and just expected something else).
With this memoir, I expected more... ponderings on Jewish identity. More of "One Family's Story of Escape and Exile", which is this book's subtitle. Just... less about the guy, and more about his family, I guess, which might be my fault because this very much is a memoir written by The Guy so it makes sense that he talks a lot about himself. It just sadly wasn't what I wanted, and that might be fully on me, because I notice that I tend to go into memoirs that deal with historical or sociopolitical issues, and then I kind of, subconsciously, expect them to be a social science reckoning, with theory and analyses to ponder, when usually, they're just... this is me, that happened, and I felt this way. Which is totally fine! That's what a memoir is! I just keep having different hopes.
I do think that you would enjoy this book if you are interested in post-WWII Jewish identity, especially that of a Third Culture Kid that (feels like he) remained the perpetual Ausländer. For fans of memoirs without all the fancy social science stuff, this would probably be a really great read! In this case, definitely I can say, it's not you, it's me.
September 5, 2026
Discovering he has a rare genetic blood cancer that only affects Ashkenazi Jews, billionaire venture capitalist and philanthropist, and former journalist for Time magazine, Michael Moritz, delves into his Central European Jewish heritage.
Through his late mother’s documents, he attempts to find answers to questions he had never before thought to ask.
Brought up in Wales where his parents escaped to from Nazi Germany , Michael Moritz has lived in the US for the past 50 odd years.
Not one to mince words, he holds a lot of criticism and disdain for Trump and the people who voted for him. (This is ok with me and the criticisms are fully warranted, although dedicating a whole chapter to him seemed at first to be a deviation from the rest of the book – but then came the ending..).
In the book, Moritz recants the awful fate of many of his family members; he tells of murders, suicides, but also determined survival. Throughout, he ponders his mother’s traumas, fears and worries as well as her struggles to come to terms with life in the UK after arriving on the Kindertransport. He writes too of his father’s interment on the Isle of Man as an enemy alien, and wishes he’d asked more about them when they were alive.
This is a very personal family history in which Moritz considers how different his life would’ve been if he’d been born two or three generations earlier. It is a small step into the history of Jews in Central Europe and contains many harrowing stories of life in the ghettos with details of soul-destroying daily horrors, humiliations and restrictions such as those handed out in Theresienstadt.
At times he becomes more wistful and the tales more evocative, especially when he talks about childhood, such as post-war family holidays in Bavaria.
My only difficulty was with the structure of the book. It was not always easy to remember who was who in the family history. I think it’d have been easier to follow if chapters had been dedicated to different sections or members of the family. By mid-way, I’d lost the thread of how X was related to Y, etc., but in the greater scheme of things that probably isn’t too important
Ausländer is an important documentation and reminder of events in recent history that must not under any circumstances be forgotten. At times these were made all the more real to me as I listened to much of it on German trains whilst travelling through and even stopping at some of the stations and places mentioned in the book.
And, wow, there was a big, unexpected twist at the end!
Overall, 3.5 stars from me. Rounded up to 4 because anything else would be inexcusable.
I listened to the audiobook which is beautifully narrated by Matt Addis.
Thank you to RBmedia and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions are all my own.
August 11, 2026
This was another book on my list of inspirations for my father's biography project.
Michael Moritz writes his family history, starting with his grandparents, all of whom live through the difficulties Jews in Germany face between 1930-1945. He continues with his parents who live in the UK after narrowly escaping from the Nazis as teenagers and how difficult it is to readjust to a new life as refugees.
Along the way, he diverges into uncles and aunts to give a full portrait of a large family whose members either perish or get scattered around the world. From a full family picture at a wedding to a much smaller version of the same in one generation.
It's bleak and alarming. He bookends the story with Trump and the familiarities he notices with what happens around the world (with a focus on the US) that is similar to interbellum Germany.
I found the book a bit confusing because he begins chapters with an experience he has and does a flashback to one of the stories. He tends to mix things up chronologically too, it becomes difficult to follow the narrative.
I took a lot of notes to give me ideas though.
Michael Moritz writes his family history, starting with his grandparents, all of whom live through the difficulties Jews in Germany face between 1930-1945. He continues with his parents who live in the UK after narrowly escaping from the Nazis as teenagers and how difficult it is to readjust to a new life as refugees.
Along the way, he diverges into uncles and aunts to give a full portrait of a large family whose members either perish or get scattered around the world. From a full family picture at a wedding to a much smaller version of the same in one generation.
It's bleak and alarming. He bookends the story with Trump and the familiarities he notices with what happens around the world (with a focus on the US) that is similar to interbellum Germany.
I found the book a bit confusing because he begins chapters with an experience he has and does a flashback to one of the stories. He tends to mix things up chronologically too, it becomes difficult to follow the narrative.
I took a lot of notes to give me ideas though.
October 28, 2026
This book was a struggle to get through. There was no continuity. It felt like he wrote whatever came into his head without knowing where he was going.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
An incredibly beautiful memoir of the author’s family and its relationship to history, today and in the past.
The title is revealing - Ausländer while meaning “foreigner” or “outsider” in German also points to the author’s Jewish heritage and how in history Jews have been vilified and especially in Nazi Germany were stateless. In addition as the memoir reminds us there is the 2017 chant “Jews will not replace us” during the tiki march in Charlottesville, VA. Discrimination is enduring (personally stupid) and tries to separate us.
The author traces his British roots to his father and mother arriving in England as refugees during WWII and then delves into his German relatives, supplying extensive historical detail and derailing their deaths in the concentration camps. These relatives are given realism and feel they could be part of your family. Additionally he explores his parent’s relationship with great compassion and a desire for better understanding of his origins. The historical elements are insightfully analyzed.
The memoir is beautifully written - though I listened to it (beautifully narrated) - and so poignant. I especially appreciated the author’s excoriating remarks about the current American government. Going back to the title, the author contemplates his home and where it should be.
I gave this book five stars because it provides an excellent analysis of the effects of discrimination through time, for its in-depth and poignant analysis of family, and for its clear cut analysis of why we in America need to heed history. Memoirs and books that give honest history a voice are so important. Highly recommend.
My thanks to NetGalley and Recorded Books for giving me access to this magnificent ARC.
The title is revealing - Ausländer while meaning “foreigner” or “outsider” in German also points to the author’s Jewish heritage and how in history Jews have been vilified and especially in Nazi Germany were stateless. In addition as the memoir reminds us there is the 2017 chant “Jews will not replace us” during the tiki march in Charlottesville, VA. Discrimination is enduring (personally stupid) and tries to separate us.
The author traces his British roots to his father and mother arriving in England as refugees during WWII and then delves into his German relatives, supplying extensive historical detail and derailing their deaths in the concentration camps. These relatives are given realism and feel they could be part of your family. Additionally he explores his parent’s relationship with great compassion and a desire for better understanding of his origins. The historical elements are insightfully analyzed.
The memoir is beautifully written - though I listened to it (beautifully narrated) - and so poignant. I especially appreciated the author’s excoriating remarks about the current American government. Going back to the title, the author contemplates his home and where it should be.
I gave this book five stars because it provides an excellent analysis of the effects of discrimination through time, for its in-depth and poignant analysis of family, and for its clear cut analysis of why we in America need to heed history. Memoirs and books that give honest history a voice are so important. Highly recommend.
My thanks to NetGalley and Recorded Books for giving me access to this magnificent ARC.
September 18, 2026
“Ausländer” is Michael Moritz's attempt to reconstruct how his family was scattered, displaced and reshaped by the rise of Nationalsozialismus in 1930s Germany. Drawing on family memories, interviews, letters, official records and journeys back to places connected with his relatives, he pieces together the story of people being murdered by the regime or forced to leave familiar worlds behind and build new lives elsewhere. The result is part family history, part historical investigation and part meditation on identity and belonging.
I was excited to start this book because both the title and premise resonated with me. And in many ways, it delivered exactly what I hoped for.
The sections I loved most were those where Moritz patiently assembled fragments of the past from disparate sources. Listening to him follow a clue through family recollections, archived documents or overlooked records gave the book an almost detective-story quality at times. I particularly enjoyed the way he revisited places connected to his family and used them to bridge the gap between past and present. Those moments gave the history an immediacy that statistics and timelines alone could never achieve.
Where the book became most thought-provoking for me was around the idea of belonging. Going in, I interpreted “Ausländer” through the singular: the author's own journey as an "outsider" and how his family's experiences shaped his identity. The book is really more interested in the plural sense of the word “Ausländer”, exploring his family members as outsiders and exiles across different countries, languages and generations. I clearly forgot about the subtitle so that wasn't quite what I expected, but it turned out to be interesting in its own right.
My one reservation is perhaps less a criticism of the book than a reflection of what I had hoped to find in it. Given the subject matter, I found myself waiting for a deeper exploration of two related themes. The first was the complicated relationship between nationality, family origins, ethnicity, religion and belonging. The book raises these questions through the experiences of Moritz's family, but I found myself wanting a bit more differentiated thoughts around this. The second was how the mechanisms that lead societies towards exclusion, authoritarianism and persecution continue to reappear in different forms today. There are touches of this, but I wanted a more nuanced examination of the broader patterns, systems and warning signs rather than a narrower polemic focus on particular political figures (as disturbing and scary as they may be). Of course that reflects my own interests more than any omission in the book. In the end, this may simply be the book I wanted to read rather than the one Moritz intended to write. Even so, I found it a thoughtful and rewarding listen. Moritz writes well, and the book raises important questions leaving me mulling over my own family’s history a lot.
The audiobook is excellent. Matt Addis captures the reflective tone perfectly and makes a narrative dense with names and historical detail easy to follow. Given some of the difficult material, that is no small achievement.
Ultimately, “Ausländer” feels like a reminder of how quickly lives can be uprooted, how easily societies forget and how important it is to keep telling these stories. A great many people could benefit from reading it, if only as a prompt to refresh their memory of where intolerance, indifference and exclusion can lead.
Thank you to RB Media, NetGalley and Michael Moritz for an advance listening copy of this book.
I was excited to start this book because both the title and premise resonated with me. And in many ways, it delivered exactly what I hoped for.
The sections I loved most were those where Moritz patiently assembled fragments of the past from disparate sources. Listening to him follow a clue through family recollections, archived documents or overlooked records gave the book an almost detective-story quality at times. I particularly enjoyed the way he revisited places connected to his family and used them to bridge the gap between past and present. Those moments gave the history an immediacy that statistics and timelines alone could never achieve.
Where the book became most thought-provoking for me was around the idea of belonging. Going in, I interpreted “Ausländer” through the singular: the author's own journey as an "outsider" and how his family's experiences shaped his identity. The book is really more interested in the plural sense of the word “Ausländer”, exploring his family members as outsiders and exiles across different countries, languages and generations. I clearly forgot about the subtitle so that wasn't quite what I expected, but it turned out to be interesting in its own right.
My one reservation is perhaps less a criticism of the book than a reflection of what I had hoped to find in it. Given the subject matter, I found myself waiting for a deeper exploration of two related themes. The first was the complicated relationship between nationality, family origins, ethnicity, religion and belonging. The book raises these questions through the experiences of Moritz's family, but I found myself wanting a bit more differentiated thoughts around this. The second was how the mechanisms that lead societies towards exclusion, authoritarianism and persecution continue to reappear in different forms today. There are touches of this, but I wanted a more nuanced examination of the broader patterns, systems and warning signs rather than a narrower polemic focus on particular political figures (as disturbing and scary as they may be). Of course that reflects my own interests more than any omission in the book. In the end, this may simply be the book I wanted to read rather than the one Moritz intended to write. Even so, I found it a thoughtful and rewarding listen. Moritz writes well, and the book raises important questions leaving me mulling over my own family’s history a lot.
The audiobook is excellent. Matt Addis captures the reflective tone perfectly and makes a narrative dense with names and historical detail easy to follow. Given some of the difficult material, that is no small achievement.
Ultimately, “Ausländer” feels like a reminder of how quickly lives can be uprooted, how easily societies forget and how important it is to keep telling these stories. A great many people could benefit from reading it, if only as a prompt to refresh their memory of where intolerance, indifference and exclusion can lead.
Thank you to RB Media, NetGalley and Michael Moritz for an advance listening copy of this book.
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September 10, 2026Review of an Advance Reader copy received from NetGalley
Ausländer: One Family's Story of Escape and Exile is Michael Moritz's powerful memoir tracing his family's escape from Nazi Germany and their subsequent journey through England and Wales. The title, meaning "stranger" or "foreigner" in German, perfectly captures the central theme of this multi-generational story of displacement and identity.
Synopsis
Moritz reconstructs his German-Jewish family's harrowing escape from Nazi persecution, following their journey across Europe to find safety. The narrative spans continents and generations, exploring what it means to be an "Ausländer" — forever living on the margins, never quite belonging anywhere. Through meticulous research and personal reflection, Moritz examines how this legacy of displacement affected his family's identity and his own relationship to his heritage.
Moritz's writing is both scholarly and deeply personal — he approaches his family history with the rigor of an investigative journalist while maintaining the emotional honesty of a descendant trying to understand his roots. The memoir serves as both a specific family history and a broader meditation on what it means to be displaced, to carry the trauma of persecution, and to navigate multiple identities across generations . There were times listening to the book that I got confused on what relation the person was to Moritz as the story does jump around a bit between people.
The sections detailing the family's experiences during Kristallnacht and their subsequent escape are particularly moving, offering a harrowing glimpse into the human cost of the Holocaust. Moritz doesn't shy away from exploring how these traumas echoed through subsequent generations, affecting family dynamics and personal identity.
For those considering the audio format, here are the key details to enhance your listening experience: the narrator is Matt Addis. He delivers a gripping and emotionally resonant performance that brings Moritz's family history vividly to life.
Ausländer is more than just a family history — it's a meditation on what it means to be an outsider, to carry the legacy of trauma, and to find identity amid displacement. Moritz handles this difficult subject with sensitivity and care, creating a memoir that is both historically significant and deeply personal.
For those interested in the audiobook, Matt Addis's narration adds an extra layer of emotional depth to an already powerful story. The 9.5-hour runtime allows for thoughtful pacing, and the high production quality makes this a worthwhile addition to both historical nonfiction and memoir collections.
Whether you choose the print or audio version, Ausländer offers a compelling look at one family's journey through some of history's darkest moments and the resilience required to forge a new identity in exile.
As a reviewer, I've always felt uneasy assigning a star rating to someone's lived experience. A memoir isn't fiction where we judge plot and character arcs—it's the author's truth, shaped by pain, survival, and vulnerability that feels too personal to score. So I’ll offer my thoughts without a rating, focusing on what the book meant to me rather than whether it 'earns' stars
Ausländer: One Family's Story of Escape and Exile is Michael Moritz's powerful memoir tracing his family's escape from Nazi Germany and their subsequent journey through England and Wales. The title, meaning "stranger" or "foreigner" in German, perfectly captures the central theme of this multi-generational story of displacement and identity.
Synopsis
Moritz reconstructs his German-Jewish family's harrowing escape from Nazi persecution, following their journey across Europe to find safety. The narrative spans continents and generations, exploring what it means to be an "Ausländer" — forever living on the margins, never quite belonging anywhere. Through meticulous research and personal reflection, Moritz examines how this legacy of displacement affected his family's identity and his own relationship to his heritage.
Moritz's writing is both scholarly and deeply personal — he approaches his family history with the rigor of an investigative journalist while maintaining the emotional honesty of a descendant trying to understand his roots. The memoir serves as both a specific family history and a broader meditation on what it means to be displaced, to carry the trauma of persecution, and to navigate multiple identities across generations . There were times listening to the book that I got confused on what relation the person was to Moritz as the story does jump around a bit between people.
The sections detailing the family's experiences during Kristallnacht and their subsequent escape are particularly moving, offering a harrowing glimpse into the human cost of the Holocaust. Moritz doesn't shy away from exploring how these traumas echoed through subsequent generations, affecting family dynamics and personal identity.
For those considering the audio format, here are the key details to enhance your listening experience: the narrator is Matt Addis. He delivers a gripping and emotionally resonant performance that brings Moritz's family history vividly to life.
Ausländer is more than just a family history — it's a meditation on what it means to be an outsider, to carry the legacy of trauma, and to find identity amid displacement. Moritz handles this difficult subject with sensitivity and care, creating a memoir that is both historically significant and deeply personal.
For those interested in the audiobook, Matt Addis's narration adds an extra layer of emotional depth to an already powerful story. The 9.5-hour runtime allows for thoughtful pacing, and the high production quality makes this a worthwhile addition to both historical nonfiction and memoir collections.
Whether you choose the print or audio version, Ausländer offers a compelling look at one family's journey through some of history's darkest moments and the resilience required to forge a new identity in exile.
As a reviewer, I've always felt uneasy assigning a star rating to someone's lived experience. A memoir isn't fiction where we judge plot and character arcs—it's the author's truth, shaped by pain, survival, and vulnerability that feels too personal to score. So I’ll offer my thoughts without a rating, focusing on what the book meant to me rather than whether it 'earns' stars
October 20, 2026
I think I was hoping for something new, a different take on the holocaust. I was expecting a more personal account of life for the refugees who escaped the horrific treatment of the Jews by the Nazi's. Instead the book covered much of the same as the many books I have read about this period. Equally traumatising, shocking and,moving but with different names. For someone not so familiar with the Nazi regime and their mass extermination of the Jews it is worth reading, up to a point. Frankly I did not take to the author who comes across as rather self centred, naive and lacking in empathy. At times the book seems 'all about him' even creating a form of 'victim' mentality, whilst at the same time belittling his parents and being rather critical of their lives, his mother in particular. He is clearly a very successful and intelligent man who has achieved so much, but in a way that makes him appear superior to his more humble and likeable parents. Yes they were risk averse and thrifty, but that is perfectly normal for children who had learned to grow up in a new country, Alfred without living parents, and outsiders in a country just recovering from war. I assume they would have been strict and at times severe, but that is not peculiar to that generation, and probably helped Michael become the success he is. What is lacking is the empathy to understand and accept the reasons why. There is minimal mention of his sibling, which is odd. He criticises the Nazi's oppressors legitimately, but fails to really understand how difficult it would have been to live under an authoritarian dictatorship, and the risks for any resistors, or an acceptance that most humans will put the safety and well being of themselves and their families ahead of strangers. Its like some people ask 'why don't the Russian people stand up against Putin?' - because it is impossible without severe consequences, so best to keep one's head down. The last few chapters are the best, because there is more about Alfred and Doris, and the tirade against Trump is laudable. And yet, Michael, instead of using your wealth ($ 7 billion) and influence to support those against Trump, you have left your country of over 50 years and fled to Germany of all places, which in itself is a little strange. Wikepedia shows him still resident in the USA? Germany would be a surprising choice given the rise of the AfD and Le Pen in France?
April 5, 2026
Have just finished legendary venture capitalist Michael Moritz’s thoughtful and profound memoir, Ausländer. Despite his extraordinary trajectory through Wales, Oxford, and Silicon Valley, he reveals a man searching to establish his place within his family’s complex history.
I crossed paths with Michael in the Valley over 25 years ago. Since those days, he has certainly attained great wealth as measured by the dollar. However, on my office wall hangs a quote from the ancient sage Ben Zoma: "Who is rich? Those who are happy with what they have." This book is Michael’s quest for Ben Zoma’s type of riches.
By the way, you can tell Michael at one time supported himself as a writer. His prose is smooth and elegant, a true pleasure to read. Ausländer is a must for anyone seeking meaning in the tension between where we come from and what we build in our own time on this planet. Bravo.
I crossed paths with Michael in the Valley over 25 years ago. Since those days, he has certainly attained great wealth as measured by the dollar. However, on my office wall hangs a quote from the ancient sage Ben Zoma: "Who is rich? Those who are happy with what they have." This book is Michael’s quest for Ben Zoma’s type of riches.
By the way, you can tell Michael at one time supported himself as a writer. His prose is smooth and elegant, a true pleasure to read. Ausländer is a must for anyone seeking meaning in the tension between where we come from and what we build in our own time on this planet. Bravo.
September 4, 2026
Thank you Netgalley for the advanced listener copy of this book. This was a powerful story of what the Holocaust did to Jewish families. It’s also equally concerning to continue to see similar things happen to people around the world today. What we in America are doing to undocumented AND what Israel is doing to Palestine. The latter is more disturbing in my opinion because the slogan used is “never forget”, yet Israeli Jewish people are rounding up, targeting and slaughter Palestinians (children included…) just as they were targeted all those years ago during World War II. Does it make it different because you view them as the enemy? Cause it truly is NO different. Killing innocent people because of the bad few (Hamas). Israelis are still killing kids, they’re no better than the opposite side
This was a powerful memoir of one of the most dark and brutal parts of world history.
This was a powerful memoir of one of the most dark and brutal parts of world history.
September 27, 2026
Just when you think you've read everything to be read about the Holocaust, you find a book like Moritz's and are again astounded, angered and heartbroken at the absolute misery, the unfathomable cruelty of the Nazi regime against a group of people they decided to declare the enemy while exploiting them relentlessly.
Instead of a linear narrative with a neat bow, in the style of current English-speaking memoirs, Moritz delivers a collection of vignettes around his family's identity, travails, and tremendous suffering, but also tremendous resilience and power beyond the small-mindedness of autocrats and their sycophants. Along the way, he also draws clear parallels to current politicians and remains of discrimination all over his and his parents' lives, making "Ausländer" more than worth the read.
Instead of a linear narrative with a neat bow, in the style of current English-speaking memoirs, Moritz delivers a collection of vignettes around his family's identity, travails, and tremendous suffering, but also tremendous resilience and power beyond the small-mindedness of autocrats and their sycophants. Along the way, he also draws clear parallels to current politicians and remains of discrimination all over his and his parents' lives, making "Ausländer" more than worth the read.
October 23, 2026
This was a brilliant memoir of family, belonging and searching for understanding. His parents escaped Germany as young people. They were received by U K . His dad was educated at Oxford. They were refugees who were “lucky” that their parents sent them away from Germany. The parallels that I saw and felt with the desperate refugees our country has seen was pretty disturbing. He reveals more holocaust in personal terms- family members killed and/or transported around the world looking for a safe escape. In the last chapter, he writes about Trump and the autocrats and the colluders, reminding the reader it only took Hitler 100 days to destroy their democracy. In the end, he is getting his German citizenship. That is where his ancestors are buried. He talks about how much more civilized Germany is than the U S where he now lives. It is history worth reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 18, 2026
Michael Moritz’s Ausländer is a remarkable achievement. The depth of his research is extraordinary, but what makes the book so compelling is the humanity behind it: the lives, losses and questions of belonging that give the history its emotional force.
I found the final chapter particularly powerful. His reflections on Trump and his decision to take German citizenship bring the past into an unsettling present. There is a profound poignancy in turning towards the country his family was forced to leave, and his account raises difficult questions about identity, security and where we feel at home. This book will stay with me for a very long time .
I found the final chapter particularly powerful. His reflections on Trump and his decision to take German citizenship bring the past into an unsettling present. There is a profound poignancy in turning towards the country his family was forced to leave, and his account raises difficult questions about identity, security and where we feel at home. This book will stay with me for a very long time .
October 27, 2026
I found the story of the author's story memorable as he traces his family roots through the holocausts. The stories of those who survived and those who perished are followed in detail as best as the author can conclude. The journeys are haunting and transpiring. It was a moving book and hard to put down. Then the last chapter, the author goes into a rant about Trump and it just does fit the rest of the narrative, was actually distracting. I finally put the book down at that point because it was in such contradiction to the rest of the story and did not fit. I would recommend the author take that part out and try to sell it as an essay apart from the book.
August 31, 2026
Michael Moritz was born in Wales after his parents escaped Germany to settle in Wales. Michael later went on to live in California and following his mother’s death, his sister sent him papers and photographs of his family. He uses these to discover the history of close family members murdered by Nazis.
Very well written and well narrated book (I listened to the audiobook). A thoughtful and considered book about family heritage and how being Jews affected them. Very relevant to the times we live in now. Enjoy.
Very well written and well narrated book (I listened to the audiobook). A thoughtful and considered book about family heritage and how being Jews affected them. Very relevant to the times we live in now. Enjoy.
September 25, 2026
Listened to this book. It was slow to grab me. I had just finished The Watchmaker’s Daughter- the story of Corrie ten Boom and this book popped up as a recommendation. Both book offer personal perspectives of WWII and the systematic overtaking of neighboring countries and the determination to obliterate the Jewish population.
This book pulls you into the destruction of Jewish families and their displacement in an intimate and personal portrait of a family. The horrors aren’t all that far behind us and the times in which we are living bear frightening parallels.
This book pulls you into the destruction of Jewish families and their displacement in an intimate and personal portrait of a family. The horrors aren’t all that far behind us and the times in which we are living bear frightening parallels.
October 25, 2026
This book wasn’t quite what I expected, which was positive. The author shares what he knows about his family in Germany and how some of them escaped. But he also discusses how this trauma impacted his parents and himself. He doesn’t make his parents martyrs and shares that his mother was difficult. His author note in the back is very insightful on today’s political and government overreach.
April 5, 2026
I can’t say it better than the quote on the cover: profoundly moving
April 12, 2026
Repetitive and got boring quickly
June 6, 2026
One of the most moving books I’ve read for a while.
October 27, 2026
author wrote this book for himself, not the reader, but I think it did teach me to take more pride in my heritage
November 8, 2026
A wonderful and sad story of a son's journey to retrace his parents and other relatives journey.
January 31, 2026
A clear eyed view of our troubled world.
Once started I could not put it down. His views and worries echoed my own. It's a terrifying look at how one man can ruin a country. How history is repeating itself and people and nations don't seem able to stop him.
Once started I could not put it down. His views and worries echoed my own. It's a terrifying look at how one man can ruin a country. How history is repeating itself and people and nations don't seem able to stop him.
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