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My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me

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My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me
First edition (German)
AuthorJennifer Teege with Nikola Sellmair
Original titleAmon: Mein Großvater hätte mich erschossen
TranslatorCarolin Sommer
IllustratorThorsten Wulff
PublisherRowohlt
Publication date
2013
ISBN1615192530
OCLC881665500

My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me: A Black Woman Discovers Her Family's Nazi Past (German release title: Amon. Mein Großvater hätte mich erschossen) is a memoir by German writer Jennifer Teege. It covers her discovery that her grandfather was Amon Göth, nicknamed the "Butcher of Płaszów" and infamously depicted in Steven Spielberg's 1993 film Schindler's List.[1] Teege was adopted and learned about her family history after reading a biography of her biological mother, Monika Hertwig [de].[2][3][4]

The book was published in the United Kingdom and United States on 14 April 2015 through The Experiment publishing and was co-written by Nikola Sellmair.[5][6][7] The work details Teege's discovery of her ancestry and her attempts to come to terms with this revelation. Teege decides to research her family and travels to Israel and Kraków. Through this she also tries to reconnect with her estranged biological mother.

Reception

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Critical reception for the book has been positive and My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me has received praise from the Seattle Times, Washington Post, and The Sunday Times.[8][9][10] The Jewish Book Council and the News Tribune also praised the book, with the News Tribune stating that it resonated with them "because it demonstrates that we are a product of our past, but we don't have to be bound by it. Ultimately, it is up to us to understand we cannot change the past, but it is we who are in charge of our future."[11][12] In contrast, Maclean's panned the work, stating that it was a "dull affair" and "brings new and unintended meaning to the banality of evil".[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "My Nazi grandfather, Amon Goeth, would have shot me". BBC. 3 October 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  2. ^ Don Snyder (March 5, 2014). "My Nazi Grandfather Would Have Shot Me". NBC News. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  3. ^ "How an Author Is Coping with the Discovery That Her Grandpa Was a Nazi". People Magazine. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  4. ^ "What's It Like To Be Black And Have A Famous Nazi Grandfather?". NPR. 11 February 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  5. ^ MacGabhann, Frank (18 July 2015). "My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me, by Jennifer Teege (review)". Irish Times. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  6. ^ "My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me: A Black Woman Discovers Her Family's Nazi Past (review)". Publishers Weekly. 30 March 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  7. ^ "MY GRANDFATHER WOULD HAVE SHOT ME (review)". AudioFile Magazine. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  8. ^ Beason, Tyrone. "'My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me': a Nazi in the family". Seattle Times. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  9. ^ Philyaw, Deesha (5 June 2015). "When the skeleton in the family closet is a Nazi". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  10. ^ Margarette Driscoll (12 April 2015). "Jennifer Teege: My Nazi grandfather would have shot me". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on May 28, 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  11. ^ Kantor, Becca. "My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me: A Black Woman Discovers Her Family's Nazi Past (review)". Jewish Book Council. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  12. ^ Shute, Kim (21 July 2015). "Book Review: 'My Grandfather Would have Shot Me' Fascinating story teaches powerful life lesson". News Tribune. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  13. ^ Teitel, Emma (23 April 2015). "My grandfather would have shot me: Book review". Maclean's. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
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