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Hans Massaquoi’s Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany

by Editorial Staff | Oct 19, 2026

Published cover of Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany — Select the cover for book information.

Hans J. Massaquoi · Autobiography · First published 1999 · English

Hans Massaquoi recalls growing up in Hamburg as the son of a German mother and a Liberian father. His account follows childhood aspirations, racial exclusion, and the struggle to survive Nazi rule and war.

Why we are reading it

Massaquoi’s first-person account is a foundational resource for understanding Black German childhood and the contradictions of belonging under National Socialism. It belongs alongside other Black German life histories, allowing readers to consider both shared experiences and individual differences.