Author(s): Wibke Bruhns

History

The story of a German family from the late nineteenth century through WWI to WWII and after. A huge bestseller in Germany, it offers extraordinarily moving and riveting insight into the experience of being German in the last century, fit to stand alongside Gitta Sereny's biography of Albert Speer or Bernhard Schlink's The Reader. 20040927 'I enjoyed "My Father's Country" intensely. What an extraordinary story. I was spellbound by the history of Wibke Bruhns' grandparents' and parents' lives. What astonishing people her parents, in particular, were, in their different ways - and how richly and accurately they documented their lives and feelings. They left a great fortune for you to find. In the final stages, as the terrible finale approaches, I was almost too moved and appalled to go on reading - but also too moved and appalled to stop. I bought the book because I'd so much admired Bruhn's journalism; I couldn't have guessed, though, what a treasure I was opening' - Michael Frayn. 'A fascinating blend of private chronicle, contemporary history and a personal search for identity' - "Der Spiegel". 'A sensational book, which almost effortlessly answers the crucial question [about the Third Reich]: How did it come to this?' - "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung". 'A heart-rending, brave, utterly convincing book. You cannot read it without being moved to the core' - "Die Zeit". First published in Germany 2004; this translation 2007.