HarleyWeaver

That's a really incredible story. I highly recommend it.

FWIW, Hans' half-brother was a high-ranking minister in Liberia. I remember reading a newspaper article about 20 years ago where his name was mentioned, during a period of civil war in that country. "Hey, I know that name!"...

The really strange thing about reading the book was that even though I'm a white American, I had to keep reminding myself that Hans was German, not American.

And also interesting was that how little he was harassed by the ordinary people. Most Germans saw him as a novelty or foreigner, and there doesn't seem to be nearly as much racism as you'd expect from the period.

I love his encounter with the Nazi factory boss when he applies for an apprenticeship... :)

This is fascinating. To think that there was any number of black people in Germany in those days, is remarkable. Even without the Nazi racism, I wouldn't have thought of Germany to have many people of African ancestry.