readingtheend 's review for:

Belonging: A German Reckons with History and Home by Nora Krug

3.0

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this is such a frank memoir about the author trying to uncover her family's history and get a sense of the extent to which they collaborated with, worked against, or perhaps even supported, the Nazis. it's painful at times, and the everydayness of it is a good reminder of how easy it becomes to participate in evil. still, I felt conflicted about the author's desperation to find proof that her grandfather was a good person, not a collaborator, not a supporter. on one hand, I understand why she would want it to be so, personally, in her personal life. on the other hand, it was a deeply uncomfortable focus for the whole latter half of the book -- the author's drive seemed to be less about uncovering the truth, more about finding some kind of absolution. and that did not feel good to me.