Ausländer: One family's story of escape and exile

by Michael Moritz

'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.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

312 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 22, 2026

Reviews

[Arseni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Irrespective of one’s background, this books makes the reader reconnect with one’s past in a fascinating way.

[Emin · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Keith Raffel · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Rebecca (Jones) Antwi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t say it better than the quote on the cover: profoundly moving

[Ketchup · Rating 2 out of 5]

Repetitive and got boring quickly

[David Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most moving books I’ve read for a while.

[Anne Gibbons-Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.