Destined to Witness

This "extraordinary" memoir of a black man's coming of age in Nazi Germany is "an entirely engaging story of accomplishment despite adversity." - Washington Post Book World
In Destined to Witness, Hans Massaquoi has crafted a beautifully rendered memoir-an astonishing true tale of growing up black in Nazi Germany. The son of a prominent African and a German nurse, Hans remained behind with his mother when Hitler came to power, after his father returned to Liberia. Like other German boys, Hans went to school; like other German boys, he swiftly fell under the Fuhrer's spell. So he was crushed to learn that, as a black child, he was ineligible for the Hitler Youth. His path to a secondary education and an eventual profession was blocked. He now lived in fear that, at any moment, he might hear the Gestapo banging on the door-or Allied bombs falling on his home. Ironic, moving, and deeply human, Massaquoi's account of this lonely struggle for survival brims with courage and intelligence.
"A cry against racism, a survivor's tale, a wartime adventure, a coming of age story, and a powerful tribute to a mother's love."- New Orleans Times-Picayune
"An incredible tale... Exceptional." - Chicago Sun Times
" Destined to Witness examines a roller coaster of racism from different cultures and continents." - The New York Times Book Review
"Here is a story rarely lived and even more rarely told. We need this book for a balanced picture of the Holocaust." -Maya Angelou
"A nuanced, startling memoir." - Kirkus Reviews
"An engaging story of a young man's journey through hate, self-enlightenment, intrigue and romance." - Ebony