This book is about Hans Jurgen Massaquoi and his experiences growing up during Nazi rule in Germany. As a World War II major, one of the things that I was never taught about was black people living in Germany. Obviously, I knew there were black people living there during this time and going through it with everyone else, but the focus in my education was almost solely on the Jewish population, prisoners of war, and political dissidents. I saw this book at a used book store and absolutely had to pick it up.

The author was born in Hamburg in 1926. His mother was a German nurse, and his father was a Liberian. His grandfather was the consul general to Libreria in Germany at the time. He outlines his experiences as a child growing up under the Nazi regime. He often faced the same racism that black people worldwide face, even today. It was interesting to see how oblivious he was as a child to the Nazi machine, but then a lot of adults were as well. Hitler Youth was a program that was pushed on children, of course, not mixed race children or black children. Unfortunately, he was made to realize he was Non Aryan, even though he was German born. He was treated poorly by teachers and students, and was even snatched up by some Brown Shirts at one point. He was also prohibited from getting education and having a professional career. However, he ran into a few teachers, civilians, and even Nazis that encouraged him and supported him in various ways.

He eventually was able to go to Liberia in 1948, where he was able to reunite with his father. Their relationship wasn't the best, and he moved to the United States. He served as a paratrooper in the United States military, and used his GI bill to fund his education. He became a well respected and lucrative journalist. He died at age 87.

This was a really important book to me, as far as improving my education and perspective on how different people and groups were treated during World War II. I know from my personal experience that the lives of black people during this time period was not something that was communicated. All of the groups who were subjected deserve to have their stories told. I really appreciated the author sharing his personal experiences. I would really suggest this book to everyone who is interested in this subject matter, or historians of all varieties.