Hans Massaquoi Books

Many Holocaust survival stories focus on disguise, as Jews often had to impersonate others to survive. Imagine a person born as a target of Nazi hatred with no option for disguise. Hans, the son of a wealthy African and a white German nurse, initially lived a privileged life. However, due to concerns about his health, his mother stayed in Germany while his father and grandfather returned to Liberia. Their circumstances changed drastically, and they became part of Hamburg's impoverished working class, living in a cramped attic without hot water or electricity. This shift marked the beginning of their hardships. For twelve harrowing years after Hitler's rise, Hans, like all non-Aryans, faced dehumanization and danger from the Nazis. He lived in constant fear of death, whether from Gestapo executioners or Allied bombings, until liberation by British troops in 1945. What distinguishes Hans's story is his visibility as an easily recognizable target, isolated from any racial community. This memoir is a powerful testament of courage, emotion, and intellect that resonates with readers everywhere.

In der Fortsetzung seiner Lebensgeschichte berichtet Hans J. Massaquoi davon, wie er sich nach seiner Emigration einen Platz in Amerika erkämpft, in einem demokratischen und freien Land, das zu dieser Zeit trotz des schönen Scheins auch von Rassismus geprägt ist. Wieder erfährt er Diskriminierung am eigenen Leib, doch nun ist er einer unter Millionen anderen Schwarzen, mit denen er gemeinsam kämpfen und sich solidarisieren kann. Als Mitarbeiter und schließlich Chefredakteur von »Ebony«, der größten schwarzen Zeitschrift Amerikas, findet er seine Berufung und seine Identität, nicht zuletzt dank seiner Begegnungen mit so herausragenden schwarzen Persönlichkeiten wie Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Jesse Jackson, Muhammad Ali, Diana Ross und vielen anderen.