My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me, Jennifer Teege
My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me, Jennifer Teege
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My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me
A Black Woman Discovers Her Family’s Nazi Past

Author: Jennifer Teege, Nikola Sellmair, Carolin Sommer

Narrator: Robin Miles

Unabridged: 7 hr 12 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/26/2015


Synopsis

The internationally bestselling memoir hailed as “authentically shocking” (Library Journal) and “an important document—proof that history never ends” (Profil)When Jennifer Teege, a German-Nigerian woman, happened to pluck a library book from the shelf, she had no idea that her life would be irrevocably altered. Recognizing photos of her mother and grandmother in the book, she discovers a horrifying fact: her grandfather was Amon Goeth, the vicious Nazi commandant chillingly depicted by Ralph Fiennes in Schindler’s List—a man known and reviled the world over.Although raised in an orphanage and eventually adopted, Teege had some contact with her biological mother and grandmother as a child. Yet neither revealed that Teege’s grandfather was the Nazi “butcher of Plaszów,” executed for crimes against humanity in 1946. The more Teege reads about Amon Goeth, the more certain she becomes: if her grandfather had met her—a black woman—he would have killed her.Teege’s discovery sends her, at age thirty-eight, into a severe depression—and on a quest to unearth and fully comprehend her family’s haunted history. Her research takes her to Krakow—to the sites of the Jewish ghetto her grandfather “cleared” in 1943 and the Plaszów concentration camp he then commanded—and back to Israel, where she herself once attended college, learned fluent Hebrew, and formed lasting friendships. Teege struggles to reconnect with her estranged mother, Monika, and to accept that her beloved grandmother once lived in luxury as Amon Goeth’s mistress at Plaszów.Teege’s story is cowritten by award-winning journalist Nikola Sellmair, who also contributes a second, interwoven narrative that draws on original interviews with Teege’s family and friends and adds historical context. Ultimately, Teege’s resolute search for the truth leads her, step by step, to the possibility of her own liberation.

About Jennifer Teege

Jennifer Teege has worked in advertising since 1999. She lived for four years in Israel, where she became fluent in Hebrew. She holds a degree from Tel Aviv University in Middle Eastern and African studies. Teege lives in Germany with her husband and two sons.

About Nikola Sellmair

Nikola Sellmair graduated from Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich and has worked in Hong Kong, Israel, Palestine, and Washington, DC. She has been a reporter in Hamburg at Germany’s Stern magazine since 2000. Her work has received many awards, including the German-Polish Journalist Award, for the first-ever article about Jennifer Teege’s singular story.

About Robin Miles

Robin Miles, named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, has twice won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration, an Audie Award for directing, and many Earphones Awards. Her film and television acting credits include The Last Days of Disco, Primary Colors, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order, New York Undercover, National Geographic’s Tales from the Wild, All My Children, and One Life to Live. She regularly gives seminars to members of SAG and AFTRA actors’ unions, and in 2005 she started Narration Arts Workshop in New York City, offering audiobook recording classes and coaching. She holds a BA degree in theater studies from Yale University, an MFA in acting from the Yale School of Drama, and a certificate from the British American Drama Academy in England.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jon on November 17, 2023

Jennifer Teege (a 38 year old woman of African/German ethnicity) discovers she is related to Amon Goeth, the commandant of the Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp. How she comes to terms with this revelation is both heart breaking and uplifting. Her journey to find peace with herself and her family is......more

Goodreads review by Sharon on November 28, 2022

Jennifer Teege's memoir is incredibly powerful and moving. At age 38, while in a library, she pulls a book off the shelf and notices it has photos and the names of her birth mother and grandmother. The name of the book is I Have to Love My Father, Don't I? Teege's grandfather (her mother's father) i......more

Goodreads review by Sandra on September 14, 2017

This is one of three books about Amon Goeth that I own and the second one I've read. I knew most of the facts about Goeth but hearing the author's story was interesting and I'm glad I purchased this book. It was well written and I liked the dynamic - several pages about her and then a shorter bit of......more

Goodreads review by Esil on March 12, 2015

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for an opportunity to read an advance copy of My granfather Would have Shot Me. The title does not do justice to this book. Jennifer Teege was born in Germany. Her mother was German and her father was Nigerian. Her mother gave her up for adoption when she......more


Quotes

“Teege’s new memoir traces the pain of discovering her grandfather was the real-life ‘Nazi butcher’ from Schindler’s List.” People magazine

“Haunting and unflinching…A memoir, an adoption story, and a geopolitical history lesson, all blended seamlessly into an account of Teege’s exploration of her roots.” Washington Post

“A refreshing and ultimately impartial analysis. Teege’s heartfelt commentary and Sellmair’s objective narrative produce a layer of balanced interpretation and insight.” New York Journal of Books

“In honest, direct, and absorbing prose, Teege and coauthor Nikola Sellmair confront highly personal repercussions of the Holocaust.” Jewish Book Council

“This book is not for the faint of heart, but it is fascinating and fair… Readers will be challenged to think about a major event in world history from a perspective that is rare but surely significant.” History Book Club

“A gripping read, highly recommended for anyone interested in history, memoirs, and biography.” Library Journal (starred review)

“A stunning memoir of cultural trauma and personal identity.” Booklist (starred review)

“Robin Miles’ narration is engaging and easy to listen to, with tonal variation that helps to convey the fascinating story to the listener…[in this] engrossing story.” AudioFile