Ika Hügel-Marshall · Autobiography · First published in German, 1998 · German and English editions
Daheim unterwegs: Ein deutsches Leben, published in English as Invisible Woman: Growing Up Black in Germany. Ika Hügel-Marshall’s memoir traces her childhood in postwar Germany, separation from her family into institutional care, and the racism she faced growing up. Her later connections with Black German communities and her search for her African American father open new possibilities for family and belonging.
Why we are reading it
This first-person account connects Black German childhood with institutional power, family separation, and the work of finding community. It is an important resource for conversations about postwar history, identity, and the enduring effects of racism.
Find the book
German: Daheim unterwegs: Ein deutsches Leben · First published by Orlanda Frauenverlag in 1998. Linked edition: Unrast, 2020 · ISBN 9783897716049.
English: Invisible Woman: Growing Up Black in Germany · Translated by Elizabeth Gaffney · Annotated edition, Peter Lang, 2008 · Paperback ISBN 9781433102783.
Continue reading
Read alongside Hans Massaquoi’s Destined to Witness, Theodor Michael’s autobiography, and Marion Kraft’s Kinder der Befreiung / Children of the Liberation. Explore Ika Hügel-Marshall’s author website for further background.
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