Andreas Bönte

During a hospital stay due to anxiety disorders, journalist Andreas Bönte gains his first shocking insights into his own family history. Further research reveals that his grandfather, who took his own life in December 1944, had held a leadership position in the SA and had led a mob on November 9, 1938—the “Reichskristallnacht.” His mother was an enthusiastic member of the BDM and found her father shot dead in her parents’ home. Due to the trauma and shame, the family’s Nazi past was kept secret for decades. In his book, Andreas Bönte recounts his research, which confronted him with his own family’s Nazi past, his immersion in a world of repression, and the way the trauma was passed on to him. These are experiences shared by many in the boomer generation. Includes numerous photographic documents from the author’s archive.