I would give this book ALL the stars, but Goodreads restricts me to 5 so this book is 5 stars with a hidden zillion stars.

There are only 2 types of books about the Holocaust/WW2 published in English: heroic British/American/non-Brit Europeans (in that order) fighting evil Nazis, or tales of suffering Jews. These books can be non-fiction or fiction but only these two types of narratives are allowed. And now, finally, something else. Something new. And this something else is not just new, but it is real and honest and sad and hopeful.

Highly, highly recommend. ( )

Molto bello da guardare e da leggere. Mi sono sempre chiesta se ad essere tedeschi fosse facile convivere con una parte così drammatica della storia della propria civiltà, se si sentisse la colpa nel dna, pur non avendone ( questione grossa) ecco questa graphic novel un po’ di risposta la da... ( )

About one-third to half of the book talks about Krug's childhood and her search for a sense of self. The rest of the book goes into her search for the truth about her family's activities during the war. She knew a little going into her search, but much of that was family story... and she didn't know how true the tales passed down actually were. She was very dedicated to her search, interviewing everyone she could and looking through military archives in search of her family's activities. Reading about how much she put into her research was impressive and daunting and gives you (the reader) a sense of just how important this was to her.

If you have the opportunity, please read this book. It is a reminder that good people can do questionable things; that we can't know how we would react in a situation without being there; that people do still help others even when helping could put them in danger. This is a book that I will carry with me for a long time to come (figuratively, of course... I have to return the physical copy to the library before its due date). ( )

Absolutely stunning. Couldn't put it down. ( )

My grandmother is a German citizen living in the US. My uncle and cousins still live outside Nürnberg. For a place I have never been, it’s always felt like a second home. But how do you embrace the German side of your heritage when part of your family are post-WWII immigrants and your family were ostracized and called Nazis when they got to the US, a charge you can neither prove, nor disprove.

While I grew up stateside, dreaming of flying to Bavaria to revisit the sites of my grandmother’s childhood, Nora grew up in Germany and has lived in the US for well over a decade. We both, however, have set about the project of discovering the lives and roles of our grandparents and great-grandparents during World War II. While I still know very little about my own (I don’t even know my great-grandfather’s name), Nora embarks on an extensive research project to learn more about her own.

She struggles to feel like she belongs to either side of the Atlantic, as well as with crippling self-consciousness over her heritage. Is it okay to celebrate being German if your family members were potentially Nazis? While Nora follows her research, we, as readers, are given a visual treat in the form of her book. In a mixed-media, family scrapbook style, her memoir incorporates comic panels, full page illustrations, found items, and journal pages from her family members. It is absolutely stunning.

What Nora ultimately learns is the lengths that we, as humans, will go to in order to protect the ones we love and hold dear. Whether her grandparents were party members or not becomes almost secondary to the discussion of family and home that runs throughout her book. It’s a compelling read and one that will resonate with just about all people, regardless of heritage. ( )