Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black In Nazi Germany

Hans Massaquoi

Oct 2009 · Harper Collins

About this ebook

This “extraordinary” memoir of a black man’s coming of age in Nazi Germany is “an entirely engaging story of accomplishment despite adversity.” —Washington Post Book World

In Destined to Witness, Hans Massaquoi has crafted a beautifully rendered memoir—an astonishing true tale of growing up black in Nazi Germany. The son of a prominent African and a German nurse, Hans remained behind with his mother when Hitler came to power, after his father returned to Liberia. Like other German boys, Hans went to school; like other German boys, he swiftly fell under the Fuhrer’s spell. So he was crushed to learn that, as a black child, he was ineligible for the Hitler Youth. His path to a secondary education and an eventual profession was blocked. He now lived in fear that, at any moment, he might hear the Gestapo banging on the door—or Allied bombs falling on his home. Ironic, moving, and deeply human, Massaquoi’s account of this lonely struggle for survival brims with courage and intelligence.

“A cry against racism, a survivor’s tale, a wartime adventure, a coming of age story, and a powerful tribute to a mother’s love.”—New Orleans Times-Picayune

“An incredible tale . . . Exceptional.” —Chicago Sun Times

“Destined to Witness examines a roller coaster of racism from different cultures and continents.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Here is a story rarely lived and even more rarely told. We need this book for a balanced picture of the Holocaust.” —Maya Angelou

“A nuanced, startling memoir.” —Kirkus Reviews

“An engaging story of a young man’s journey through hate, self-enlightenment, intrigue and romance.” —Ebony

Ratings and reviews

The Holocaust we all know was a deeply disturbing time in European history. The murderous thirst of the Nazis left a hole for numerous Jewish generations. However to hear a story from a person of colour in Nazi Germany clearly illustrates that racist Ideologies are not bound to by time but remain as seeds to plant when the season is right.

It's good reading about other people who where.victems of hate In germany at that time

About the author

Hans J. Massaquoi emigrated to the United States in the early 1950s. He served in the U.S. Army and then became a journalist for Johnson Publishing, where he was managing editor of Ebony magazine. He was an active participant in the civil rights movement. The father of two sons, Hans lives with his wife, Katherine, in New Orleans, Louisiana.