This is quite a remarkable memoir about a quite remarkable family. Not a very likeable one, however, and dysfunctional hardly begins to cover it. I certainly had sympathy for the author, the heir to this family, but given his background it’s surprising he made it through at all. It’s a multi-generational family saga covering much of the 20th century and moves between Latvia, Poland, Germany and the Netherlands, a particularly turbulent part of the world and where the legacy of WWII lives on. It definitely did for the author who discovered that his father had served in the Waffen-SS, voluntarily, as a Dutchman. Politics and mixed allegiances galore, shady business practices, alcoholism, poverty and wealth, abduction, abandoned wives and children – the list goes on. The family were originally rich and well-connected but the war largely put paid to that and the extended family went on to lead a peripatetic existence forging new lives in new countries whenever circumstances demanded. Their story is often distasteful and the author’s father in particular was a truly nasty piece of work. This is not a in any way a nostalgic and melancholy memoir about growing up in tumultuous times, but an exposé of the shadier side of family life. Quite fascinating.

Author #Alexander Munninghoff writes a compelling story of experiences with Nazi Germany.And how he (his father)was not interested in the family business and rebelled against his controlling father.This makes a interesting read for anyone who enjoys European history.
Thank you,
#Netgalley,#Alexander Munninghoff and #Amazon Crossing

An interesting look at how WWII affected this wealthy family.
Born to a Nazi father and desperate mother, it seems as though the person with the greatest impact on this young mans life was his often-time ruthless grandfather, known as "Old Boss"

An interesting story that spans across three generations,

This was a fascinating multi-generational history of the Münninghoff family, beginning with the author's grandfather, a Dutch national who spent decades in business in Latvia, where his family was raised, only to return to the Netherlands at the outbreak of World War II. The oldest son, and titular "heir" (the author's father), was not interested in the family business, rebelled against his controlling father, and was drawn to Nazi Germany. This wealthy, multi-national family's experiences during the war years and afterwards makes interesting reading for anyone who enjoys European history. There is even a brief cameo by John and Robert Kennedy as teens, when they are visited by the teenage "heir" when he visits England in the 1930s.

This book is an interesting perspective on WWII. I found the writing/translation as a whole to be a bit dry for my taste, and I had a hard time getting into it, but once I was, I was wholly invested. I was VERY invested in this man's reckoning with his family's history. This is a book that will make you angry but also break your heart. Outward appearances aren't everything, a lesson that carries through today. If you are at all interested in WWII, add this one to your list if only for the unique perspective alone.