Tearing the Silence: On Being German in America

Powerful compilation of interviews of German-Americans, immigrants born in a post World War II Germany and struggling with anger, guilt, and resentment. Hegi sought their stories to expose the difficulties she went through due to her infamous heritage, and wanted to expose the pain of the younger generations in Germany, who carry the war-torn burdens of their parents and grandparents, without negating or excusing away the sufferings of those who were persecuted under the Nazi regime.

The interviews were brutally honest, right down to the admission of racist feelings in their own lives. Many carried with them a fear of organized politics and the military, while others embraced it. Each person had fears or prejudices that could ultimately show more be traced to the war. Those who remember the war itself remember that everyone was wrapped up in their own struggles; there was little to no talk of what Jewish people were suffering during that time. When they finally realized what the Holocaust was, reactions ranged from shame, to doubt, to a head-in-the-sand belief that it had nothing to do with them. But what Heigl wishes to impart is that it is a legacy all German offspring must bear, whether they like it or not. And she wishes to expose this truth in order to rally against the Germans who, in post-war shell-shocked defeatism, still shrug their shoulder and speak of Hitler: "At least he built the Autobahn and kept the trains running on time."

It's an interesting perspective of a World War II aftermath that is rarely spoken of, that of the decendeants of the losing side. show less

Sad, informative and very touching, the interviews deal with many issues close to my heart, being a German immigrant to Canada. Although I recommend this book highly, it is an emotional experience (at least it was for me). I could not finish the book in one go, some of the interviews brought tears to my eyes (and some of it simply hit too close to home). The only thing that I find somewhat lacking in this otherwise excellent account are interviews with individuals who immigrated to the United States not in the 50s and 60s, but in the 70s and 80s.

I definitely believe that it would have been very enlightening to also have been able to read interviews with immigrants who came to North America from Germany at later dates than the 50s and show more 60s (like my own family, who immigrated to Canada in 1976 when I was ten years old) and to compare and contrast their (or rather our) ideas, feelings, experiences with those of the earlier, immediately post-war immigrants. show less

3381. Tearing the Silence: Being German in America (read Dec 18, 2000) The author, of course, is of Stones from the River fame. The book is easy to read, since Hegi is an excellent writer, tho most of the book consists of what she was told by Germans now living in America. Not too memorable a book.