Hardcover, 288 pages
German language
Published April 2, 2018 by Penguin.
„Wie kann man verstehen, wer man ist, wenn man nicht weiß, woher man kommt?“
Sie lebt seit über 12 Jahren in New York, ist verheiratet mit einem amerikanischen Juden und fühlt sich deutscher als jemals zuvor. Woher kommt das? Und wer ist sie eigentlich? Die preisgekrönte, 1977 in Karlsruhe geborene Autorin und Illustratorin Nora Krug fragt sich, was Heimat für sie bedeutet, und unternimmt eine literarisch-grafische Spurensuche in der Vergangenheit ihrer Familie: Was hatte Großvaters Fahrschule mit dem jüdischen Unternehmer zu tun, dessen Chauffeur er vor dem Krieg gewesen war? Und was sagen die mit Hakenkreuzen dekorierten Schulaufsätze über ihren Onkel, der mit 18 Jahren im Zweiten Weltkrieg fiel? Ihre gezeichneten und handgeschriebenen Bildergeschichten fügt Krug mit Fotografien, Archiv- und Flohmarktfunden zu einem völlig neuen Ganzen zusammen. „Heimat“ ist ein einzigartiges Erinnerungskunstwerk, in dem Familiengeschichte auf Zeitgeschichte trifft. Ein Graphic Memoir, lebendig, wahr und poetisch erzählt.
Der Versuch einer persönlicher Aufarbeitung der NS-Zeit an Hand der eigenen Familiengeschichte. Wer waren unsere Großeltern und Urgroßeltern und was ist ein Mitläufer oder ein Belasteter?
I'd like to preface this by saying that I understand and often agree with the criticisms raised against the book in the more negative reviews here, but for me it's still ~4.5 stars. (I'm stingy with my full 5.)
I am German, albeit one generation younger than the author, and to me the feeling of personal guilt or shame expressed here are totally alien. I think that Germans today have a huge responsibility towards German history; remembering it, taking its lessons to heart and, above all, fighting against anything like this ever happening again, and fighting for the people the Nazis persecuted and murdered. But I do not feel shame or guilt, on my part (I was born 45 years after the nazis' defeat, after all).
Still, I found this exposition fascinating and valuable. Germans today mostly like to think that their ancestors were against Hitler, victims or even resisting …
I'd like to preface this by saying that I understand and often agree with the criticisms raised against the book in the more negative reviews here, but for me it's still ~4.5 stars. (I'm stingy with my full 5.)
I am German, albeit one generation younger than the author, and to me the feeling of personal guilt or shame expressed here are totally alien. I think that Germans today have a huge responsibility towards German history; remembering it, taking its lessons to heart and, above all, fighting against anything like this ever happening again, and fighting for the people the Nazis persecuted and murdered. But I do not feel shame or guilt, on my part (I was born 45 years after the nazis' defeat, after all).
Still, I found this exposition fascinating and valuable. Germans today mostly like to think that their ancestors were against Hitler, victims or even resisting the regime -- which is of course nonsense. There was German resistance, but very few people were part of it. So confronting the ways in which our family members went along with a fascist regime is hugely important -- not least in the face of the rise of neo-fascist politics today. It's not about condemning or shaming anyone for who their family were, it's about facing up to how easy it is, when faced with increased authoritarianism and oppression, to go along with it, and to guard against this impulse in ourselves.
For this, I find the book immensely valuable. It is also beautifully made, shocking and captivating. Definite recommendation.
