Was my Grandfather a Nazi?

In the beginning, there is a chance discovery: the author comes across some personal papers left by his grandfather, whom he was close to and who recently passed away. Now the grandson embarks on a journey of discovery that will take several years in order to uncover the truth - in his family and historically. On the way, he finds many helpers who provide missing pieces in the puzzle and encounters witnesses and descendants. And so, gradually, the contours of his grandfather's life and thus also of the Third Reich's legal history become visible. In the end, there is reconciliation, as the author manages to bring the families of 'perpetrator' and Jewish 'victim' together. A moving and also encouraging exploration of German-Jewish history during National Socialism.

Lorenz Völker was born in 1970 and teaches history, English and sport at a Gymnasium in Berlin. German contemporary history is one of his main research interests. His investigations into the fate of the Lehmann family, who play an important role in this book, led to memorial plaques, the so-called Stolpersteine, being laid for the Lehmanns in 2014.