Customer Reviews

My Father's Country: The Story of a German Family

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Intelligently written memoir about the affluent Klamroth family living through the ever-changing late-nineteenth to mid-twentieth century decades of Germany. Centered in and around Halberstadt within former East Germany, while this book specifically focuses on Hans Georg Klamroth because the author sought to understand the father she never knew who ended up being executed along with others for the plot to assassinate Hitler just before the end of World War II, Wibke Bruhns offers much more that aficianados of history will appreciate. The author shares at the family level, and the successes and failures, blessings and tribulations that she masterfully knits together, based on the extensive number of letters and diaries fortunately available to her due in part to the diligence of the family archivist, help bring this period of German history alive for those of us who did not live in the country at that time. Somewhat reminiscent of "Five Germanys I Have Known" by Fritz Stern (see my review), albeit the account provided in this memoir is much more relatable as the author walks the reader through Hans Georg Klamroth's early years, career choices, and family life, and provides insight into how the protagonist handled successes and failures in these aspects alongside the horrors of the Interwar period and World War II.