Destined to Witness : Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany

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Summary: Fascinating Account from a Black German Boy's Point of View!
Review: Absolutely fascinating! Hans Massaquoi, tells his unique story with detailed anecdotes from his early life in Hamburg, Germany. He starts by describing his youthful naive fascination with "the beloved Fuehrer, Adolph Hitler" to his impotent rage and feelings of total betrayal when he realizes over and over that he, a German-born citizen, is considered to be racially inferior and a threat to the "Great Aryan Race".

Almost more interesting to me are the first-hand stories that describe the mentality of the German citizen during the Holocaust years -- how many of the average German citizens were also victims of the Nazis. Maybe the average Aryan Germans were not (except for some resisters) shipped off to concentration camps or gas chambers; but life in Germany during these years was far from sweet. The heavy-handed dictatorial rule of the Third Reich included cruel and unjust treatment for many of its citizens.

Mr. Massaquoi's book describes in fascinating detail the life of a German youth born to a Aryan mother and an African Liberian father -- and his odyssey of growing up "Black in Nazi Germany".

The writing is intelligent and colorful -- and will easily capture the attention of young and old adults. And perhaps shed some light on a persistent question asked by young students of the Holocaust: "How could the German people allow this to happen?!"

It's a real eye opener.

Rating:
Summary: Quality Book
Review: Destined to Witness
Growing up Black in Nazi Germany

Destined to Witness is a book containing the memories of Hans Massaquoi, a black man who grew to adulthood in Nazi Germany. Destined to Witness encompasses his entire life in very vivid graphic detail. The insight used throughout the book allows the readers to connect with Massaquoi; you can almost see yourself in his shoes at times. Destined to Witness is as true to life as Hans J. Massaquoi is today. Massaquoi's life story starts at childhood, when he lived in luxury. From there he takes a turn for the worse and ends up living in poverty with his very loving and caring mother. Massaquoi finds himself swept away with the Fuhrer's powerful speeches and is crushed to learn that, as a black child, he was barred from joining organizations such as the Hitler Youth. From this point on Massaquoi begins experiencing racism from schoolyard bullies, principals, and the newly formed Nazi government. Massaquoi managed to complete the first stages of his education, but was blocked from taking secondary education and thus lost his opportunity at a professional career.
Through the inspiration and love of his mother he becomes a boxer, falls in love, and works full time. However, nothing can keep him from living in fear that the Gestapo will come take his life away, or that the constant bombing will hit home at any time. Destined to Witness is an accurate account of Massaquoi's struggle for survival. With a combination of wits, guts, luck, and an amazing mother, he manages to survive one of the darkest times in the twentieth century and come out on top.

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Summary: Destined to Witness Book Review
Review: Hans J. Massauquoi's memoir, Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany, is a story that tells of his experiences as a black child being raised in Germany during the Third Reich. The narrative takes the reader through several different phases of Hans' life. The first being a time when Hans was treated with great respect due to the fact that his grandfather was the Liberian consul general to Germany. During this period of time Hans enjoyed an upper class life full of carefree fun. After Momolu Massaquoi, Hans' grandfather, made an abrupt return to Liberia, Hans and his mother were suddenly forced to survive on their own and deal with a wide array of new issues and problems. Hans had now become the only black person in his school and neighborhood; and many strict Nazi followers were very opposed to his presence. Even people such as his principal and teachers were openly ignorant to Hans simply because he was black. As Hitler's reign continued and the Nazi party's ideology began to take an even stronger hold on Germany's citizens, Hans became the victim of even more hatred and discrimination.
Destined to Witness is readable, enjoyable, and powerful. Massaquoi allows his readers to feel as if they are right there with him during his life experiences. The first hand accounts of Nazi hatred are written so vividly that the reader can actually feel emotion over the incidents. Throughout the entire book one cannot help but to root for Hans as the underdog. The book is also an excellent historical account because it describes the issues taking place in Nazi Germany as a citizen of the country saw them rather than how the Nazi government would have had everyone believe. Overall I found the book fantastic; an excellent read.

Rating:
Summary: A revealing look
Review: Hans Massaquoi's Destined to Witness is a revealing look into life in Nazi Germany. Massaquoi's story is unique because he had an African father and a German mother, and looked more African than European. His mother was the main influence on his life, gradually imparting to him the true "virtues" of Nazi ideology. At many points, Massaquoi expresses his admiration for Adolf Hitler as a young boy, perceiving Hitler as the man to raise Germany from poverty to greatness. But Massaquoi would gradually learn that because of his race, he was not meant as part of Hitler's grand plan.

Massaquoi's story contains both heroes and villains. Many teachers give Massaquoi special attention because they understand his hardship, while others point out his "obvious" inferiority in front of classes of young children. As Germany enters the war, Massaquoi gives a unique perspective on how the support for the Nazi regime collapsed among the working classes.

Massaquoi's story of life and survival is written exceptionally. His memory of seemingly insignificant details gives the book exceptional color and entices the reader. Particularly interesting were his descriptions of his heroes who "looked" like he did. Massaquoi's feelings of pride toward the achievements of African-Americans Joe Louis and Jesse Owens reveal how his ancestry and patriotic feelings were often conflicting. Massaquoi, with his mother's guidance, unlearns his previous admiration of Hitler and the Nazi regime. His story of survival is inspirational, and this book does that story justice. This book is an excellent read for those who enjoy stories of triumph of the human spirit.

Rating:
Summary: Destined for greatness!
Review: I am not an avid reader of biographies, but this particular book was too enticing to pass up. I was not disappointed at all. If you are intrigued about the Nazi era, Hitler's rise to power, or how minorities coped with that, then this is definitely the book for you! From his very first memories of childhood, and right through the end of the war, I almost could not put it down. His real life story was better than any fiction book could have been. He describes: surroundings, family, friends, and unpleasant situations in such excellent detail that you really feel like you are there with him. Moreover, the story flows so smoothly you don't feel like you are missing anything, nor does the book drag along either.

I have to admit that before I read this book I had no idea there were ANY blacks living in Germany at that time, and if I imagined there had been, then I thought surely they wouldn't have survived. Obviously this book blew that misconception of mine right out of the water. I was actually surprised that he was treated as decently as he was by some of his fellow citizens and neighbors. Going by this book it looks like blacks might have been treated worse in the Jim Crow South, than in some areas of Nazi Germany, ironic given the principles each country was fighting for. My only drawback was that this book lost a little of its grab for me after the war was over, so it was slightly anticlimactic at that point. Nevertheless, that in no way diminishes my overall satisfaction with this very inspiring story. Therefore, I cannot give it anything less than the full 5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: Spellbinding!
Review: I came across Mr. Massaquoi's story last month on the internet while doing research for my English paper about the Black presence during WWII. I ended up buying his book, and it was truly a fascinating read. I had no idea that there were Blacks living in Germany during Hitler's time and that the Jews weren't the only ones who were persecuted. Destined to Witness is a must read for everyone, regardless of color. It is a fascinating narrative about a little known piece of history. Given the hell on earth that was all around him, I believe that God spared Mr. Massaquoi's life to tell a story that may have never been told. Take your time and digest. Highly recommended.

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Summary: Reading Response
Review: Reading Response 5

The book Destined to Witness: Growing up Black in Nazi Germany was a very interesting story of Hans J. Massaquoi. Hans was the child of a Liberian and a German, making him black, and therefore, a non-Aryan, but he was not as low on the racial chain as the Jew. Being black in Nazi Germany gave him a very interesting perspective. He had the rare case of being not fully accepted by Nazi Germany as Aryans where or fully rejected by the Nazis as in the case of the Jew.
It is interesting to read the life of Hans, because Hans liked the Nazis when they first came to power. He slowly realized that Nazis where not the idols he thought they were, so we read from many different perspectives; from a child that loved the Nazis, into an adult that hates everything they stand for. In the beginning he wanted so bad to be a part of the Nazi party, but they kept rejecting him. He wanted to join the Hitler Youth, he tried to get in high school, he wanted to enter the boxing tournament, but was turned away every time, for not being a pure Aryan. It took Hans a while to see through his teachers redirect that Hitler was the one that was going to lead Germany back to its old time power. Slowly the rejections and racism of the Nazis showed Hans that the Nazis where bad. He began to see their policies of terror.
From Hans's perspective we can see that it was easy to be fooled by the Nazi lies, to get caught up in the spirit, the extreme nationalism. It also showed that the German people followed Hitler and were to blame for much of the actions of the State.
Destined to Witness is a very good book that was easy to read, and showed an accurate picture of Nazi Germany at the level of the regular citizen. It showed the regular day-to-day system of hatred and bias created in the German state under the Nazis.

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Summary: Black in Nazi Germany
Review: Son of a German mother and a Liberian father Hans grew up in a very awkward setting. He came from a family with impressive African ancestry, his grandfather being Liberia's council to Germany. Hans was a privileged child who was always being told how beautiful his skin and curly afro was, he was a black child in Germany during the reign of Hitler. Hans lived the life of a prince as a child, but was later pushed into the scheme of Nazi Germany through his situation and environment.

Times were to change for Hans when his grandfather was recalled to Liberia; he was forced to stay behind with his mother due to health reasons and was to move into a working-class neighborhood where he was faced almost immediately with racism for the first time. Patterns of social exclusion, hostility, and racial taunts were commonplace for Hans in school now; only the love and protection of his mother still shielded him. Hans began to hate himself and his color; he slowly adopted the Nazi mentality while being taught the inspiration of it in school. In school he was taught that Jews are the worst people in the world, he admired the Nazi's and tries to join "Hitler's Youth." Over time Hans finally began to realize the truth behind Nazi Germany. He saw that even average citizens participated in the success of the Nazis. He saw that he was part of a collection that would look down on him based on the color of his skin.

It amazed me that the Nazi influence was so strong in Germany that even a young black boy could be tricked into believing the ideals that were against his own kind. They taught the ways of the Nazi party in elementary school where little kids were joining "Hitler's Youth" as if it were Cub Scouts. While away from the protection of his prestigious family Hans was able to see first hand the hate that was the Nazi. This book showed a powerful, first-hand account of the propaganda and hatred of Nazi Germany.

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Summary: Witness leads to learning about the people
Review: The novel Destined to Witness, can only be described as one of the best pieces ever written for a person in my position. Having little detailed knowledge of Nazi Germany (this and one previous history class is the only Nazi education to my name) but an enormous curiosity for how the people lived during this time period, this work helped quench that desire to know more about the people.
Though the book was rather limited in scope, it helped to give character to those who lost their lives in World War II. It takes place mostly in Hamburg, Germany. Relatively few Jews lived in the area where Hans-Juergan grew up, so was limited in telling the Jewish side of the story. However, the reader does get a sense of what Nazi Germany was like for "normal" Germans. Readers are exposed to Nazi fanatics as well as those who did not follow Hitler. Most of all, readers are able to experience the war as a majority of Germany did. The affects of bombings, food shortages, work requirements, and extreme control by the Nazi party are all prevalent in the novel.
Readers also get a sense of the oppression. Inside the head of Hans-Juergan, readers see life as a half-Liberian, half-German. Most amazing is the inner turmoil of Hans-Juergan. Not a "true" German, not an oppressed Jew, he struggles to find an identity in Nazi Germany. Through Nazi rule, he is considered an outsider. However, his struggle does not end with the war. The liberating British also do not identify Hans-Juergan with the oppressed; rather they see him as a German. This book brings a true fact to light: facts do not make history. People do.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing Personal Account and Unique Perspective
Review: The only thing more amazing than Massoquoi's story is the fact that it is not an international best seller. This narrative is a gripping, insightful, humorous, tragic, and delightful coming of age story. This book provides a perspective of Nazi German, the Allied Forces, and WWII era American culture that can't be found in typical history books.

Destined to Witness is an especially great introduction to WWII for young people, adding a personal relevance to the well and lesser known events leading up to and through the second World War. This is one history book you won't want to end.