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libraryladykati's review against another edition
5.0
I was beyond fascinated by this. Memory, trauma, family, and love are all explored. What an astounding book.
emilyacgm's review against another edition
2.0
Another time for a half star, 2.5. I really liked this book at first and loved the psychology of it, the search for her family and uncovering of her past. However, it pettered as it went until, at the end, I was just glad it was over. I recommend it, though, since the reverberations of the Holocaust on both sides is fascinating, in my opinion.
ombraluce's review against another edition
4.0
Was bedeutet es, mit einem Mörder verwandt zu sein, von einem Mörder abzustammen? Es ist ein seltener, aber nicht ungewöhnlicher Zustand, denn es gibt eine ganze Reihe von Mördern, Serienmördern, auf der Welt, und alle hatten Brüder, Schwestern, Familie, Nachkommen. Im Falle des psychopathischen Einzeltäters kann man jedoch sagen, dass diejenigen, die sein Blut teilen, seine Psyche nicht teilen. Der Fall der Nachkommen von Nazi-Verbrechern ist anders, weil diese Verbrecher in einem System gediehen, das für sie geschaffen und entwickelt wurde, so dass sie ihre natürliche Grausamkeit, ihren Hunger nach Blut, in den Dienst einer Ideologie stellen konnten.
So kann man sich das Entsetzen von Jennifer Teege, eine schwarze Deutsche, vorstellen, als sie in einer Bibliothek ein Buch über ihre Mutter findet, eine Frau, die sie zur Adoption freigab, als sie erst sieben Jahre alt war, und erfährt, dass diese Frau die Tochter von Amon Göth ist, dem Leiter des Konzentrationslagers in Płaszów bei Krakau, einem berüchtigten psychopathischen Mörder.
Von diesem Moment an ist Jennifer, die seit ihrem 20. Lebensjahr an Depressionen leidet, gezwungen, ihr ganzes Leben in Frage zu stellen, von den ersten Beziehungen zu ihrer Mutter und Großmutter bis hin zu denen zu ihrer Adoptivfamilie und ihren israelischen Freunden, denn paradoxerweise ist sie nicht nur schwarz, sondern hat in Israel studiert und spricht Hebräisch. Wirklich, ihr Großvater hätte sie erschossen.
Das Buch ist in verschiedene Abschnitte unterteilt - Jennifers Erzählung, die mit dem historischen Kontext und den Beobachtungen ihres Co-Autors vermischt ist - und hat neben dem Plus, dass es eine ausgezeichnete Lektüre ist, das enorme Verdienst, zu uns zu sprechen, die wir, unberührt von dem Grauen, leicht alles in Schwarz und Weiß sehen - zu einer Art von Opfern des Nationalsozialismus, die leicht vergessen werden: die unschuldigen Nachkommen, die auch das Schuldgefühl auf ihren Schultern tragen, das ihre Vorfahren nie empfunden haben.
So kann man sich das Entsetzen von Jennifer Teege, eine schwarze Deutsche, vorstellen, als sie in einer Bibliothek ein Buch über ihre Mutter findet, eine Frau, die sie zur Adoption freigab, als sie erst sieben Jahre alt war, und erfährt, dass diese Frau die Tochter von Amon Göth ist, dem Leiter des Konzentrationslagers in Płaszów bei Krakau, einem berüchtigten psychopathischen Mörder.
Von diesem Moment an ist Jennifer, die seit ihrem 20. Lebensjahr an Depressionen leidet, gezwungen, ihr ganzes Leben in Frage zu stellen, von den ersten Beziehungen zu ihrer Mutter und Großmutter bis hin zu denen zu ihrer Adoptivfamilie und ihren israelischen Freunden, denn paradoxerweise ist sie nicht nur schwarz, sondern hat in Israel studiert und spricht Hebräisch. Wirklich, ihr Großvater hätte sie erschossen.
Das Buch ist in verschiedene Abschnitte unterteilt - Jennifers Erzählung, die mit dem historischen Kontext und den Beobachtungen ihres Co-Autors vermischt ist - und hat neben dem Plus, dass es eine ausgezeichnete Lektüre ist, das enorme Verdienst, zu uns zu sprechen, die wir, unberührt von dem Grauen, leicht alles in Schwarz und Weiß sehen - zu einer Art von Opfern des Nationalsozialismus, die leicht vergessen werden: die unschuldigen Nachkommen, die auch das Schuldgefühl auf ihren Schultern tragen, das ihre Vorfahren nie empfunden haben.
cosom's review against another edition
found this genuinely interesting and would recommend based soley on the subject matter.
however, the writing on teege's part was lacking quite a bit in my opinion. i found it hard to grasp her feelings and emotions at certain points and generally get behind her thought process sometimes.
i really enjoyed the inclusion of the the parts that nikola sellmair wrote, however. they provided necessary context or explored a situation from a more neutral perspective, which i really appreciated!
however, the writing on teege's part was lacking quite a bit in my opinion. i found it hard to grasp her feelings and emotions at certain points and generally get behind her thought process sometimes.
i really enjoyed the inclusion of the the parts that nikola sellmair wrote, however. they provided necessary context or explored a situation from a more neutral perspective, which i really appreciated!
macrae's review against another edition
5.0
I just finished “My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me” by Jennifer Teege and Nikola Sellmair, an “extraordinary memoir of a German-Nigerian woman who learns that her grandfather was the brutal Nazi commandant depicted in ‘Schindler’s List’.”
erica_o's review against another edition
4.0
What an interesting read!
This came across my desk awhile ago and I was arrested by the title so I put it on hold and have just finished listening and my thoughts are all a-whirl because, here's the thing, this could possibly be my story. Not the part about a black woman because I'm white but the part about discovering one's surprise Nazi heritage. I could very well unknowingly have Nazi ancestors and there's no way I would know or even suspect.
Jennifer didn't know or suspect until she accidentally stumbled across a book about her mother while searching the mental health area of the library. In trying to help herself battle depression, Jennifer, instead, found her mother's story right there where she never expected to find such a thing and in that book, she also found that she is the granddaughter of Amon Goeth, the vicious Commandant of Płaszów, he who was portrayed by Ralph Fiennes in "Schindler's List." After learning that, she then had to come to terms with her beloved grandmother being a Nazi supporter who lived at the camp and saw what her lover was doing and did nothing to stop it. How the hell do you come to terms with that?
Well, that's the point of this book, how she reconciled with her new reality.
Most of this book is Jennifer telling the reader her experience, sharing her feelings. She's quite open and honest but also oddly self-involved and unapologetically so. I was wrapped up in her story even as I often rolled my eyes at her actions. But what would I have done differently? I don't know.
Parts of this book, though, is comprised of the narratives of her family, friends, people who are in her life, and people who met her briefly. They offer counterpoints to Jennifer's story, helping to create a fuller, more comprehensive picture.
It's a somewhat exhausting read; it's hard to follow along with someone's turmoil, with the burden of sudden guilt, of fear of how her story will be received by her Jewish friends, the questioning of family and its importance and who family really is. But it ends perfectly, beautifully, and in a glorious human fashion.
I'm glad I listened to this.
This came across my desk awhile ago and I was arrested by the title so I put it on hold and have just finished listening and my thoughts are all a-whirl because, here's the thing, this could possibly be my story. Not the part about a black woman because I'm white but the part about discovering one's surprise Nazi heritage. I could very well unknowingly have Nazi ancestors and there's no way I would know or even suspect.
Jennifer didn't know or suspect until she accidentally stumbled across a book about her mother while searching the mental health area of the library. In trying to help herself battle depression, Jennifer, instead, found her mother's story right there where she never expected to find such a thing and in that book, she also found that she is the granddaughter of Amon Goeth, the vicious Commandant of Płaszów, he who was portrayed by Ralph Fiennes in "Schindler's List." After learning that, she then had to come to terms with her beloved grandmother being a Nazi supporter who lived at the camp and saw what her lover was doing and did nothing to stop it. How the hell do you come to terms with that?
Well, that's the point of this book, how she reconciled with her new reality.
Most of this book is Jennifer telling the reader her experience, sharing her feelings. She's quite open and honest but also oddly self-involved and unapologetically so. I was wrapped up in her story even as I often rolled my eyes at her actions. But what would I have done differently? I don't know.
Parts of this book, though, is comprised of the narratives of her family, friends, people who are in her life, and people who met her briefly. They offer counterpoints to Jennifer's story, helping to create a fuller, more comprehensive picture.
It's a somewhat exhausting read; it's hard to follow along with someone's turmoil, with the burden of sudden guilt, of fear of how her story will be received by her Jewish friends, the questioning of family and its importance and who family really is. But it ends perfectly, beautifully, and in a glorious human fashion.
I'm glad I listened to this.
purplereigns4724's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
chanieravs's review against another edition
5.0
This was a very interesting memoir. I have read and thought a lot about the holocaust from the victim and victim's descendants perspective - but never from the perspective of a Nazi descendant. It was fascinating to hear how Jennifer struggled with her family's past, and the range of emotions she felt. The struggle she had both about her family as well as how others, particularly her Israeli friends, would view her was particularly fascinating.
One point I will highlight is that I'm not sure this was the best translation- I started reading the book and struggled with it and then switched to audiobook and had an easier time. With that caveat, I highly recommend this book/audiobook.
One point I will highlight is that I'm not sure this was the best translation- I started reading the book and struggled with it and then switched to audiobook and had an easier time. With that caveat, I highly recommend this book/audiobook.