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As a United States citizen, a historian of Germany, and the 64 year old son of a Jewish-Russian refugee who was lucky enough to have fled France in 1941 with her parents after having grown up in Berlin, I have now been living in Berlin with my German husband for almost 4 years. Since I have been considering as to whether I want to become a German citizen, I was looking forward to reading this book. I was not disappointed and read this engaging book in two sittings so as to give me some time to reflect on what I had read and to wish for more details! Now as I write this review, I am happily perusing it again.Since I have looked into whether I too could become a German citizen under the same provision in Article 116 (I cannot, which is a long story!), I was aware of the ability of descendants of Germans, whose citizenship was taken from them after 1933, to reclaim their German citizenship; I was quite moved by these 12 fascinating, thoughtful, and moving memoirs of children and grandchildren of survivors. They show vividly and beautifully the meaning of their personal and familial journeys and why they -- and by extension thousands more -- have claimed and are claiming their citizenship from the country that had horribly persecuted and dreadfully abused (to put it quite mildly!) their parents and other members of their extended families. With wit, humor, and tranquility, these writers share the multifaceted reasons why they chose to reclaim their German citizenship. Some have chosen to live in Germany, while others live in other countries. All of them acknowledge the importance of, as the Germans put it so clearly of "Vergangenheitsbewaeltigung", which can be be translated into English as personal coming to terms with one's past and acknowledging its impact on you today. The writers all share their connection to Germany and, despite the past, they perceive themselves as Germans and are a part of a community of Europeans who eloquently see this reclaiming as a small step towards creating a better world for themselves, their families, and the communities in Germany and beyond of which they are a part.The book is highly recommended for anyone who wishes to understand and appreciate crucial contemporary ways of coming to terms with and moving beyond family trauma. One only wishes that these stories will become part of the larger narrative of survivor stories so that historians, politicians, and others can better understand why as Donna Swarthout puts it "restorative justice" (p. 10) is such an important way to move forward and that it contributes to "healing and peace to all involved" as Ruth White concluded (p. 43). Or as Carole Fabian wrote: "to reunite and live together as fellow citizens once more" (p. 101). What resonates and reverberates is the notion is that we are so formed by our ancestors and that we may have multiple identities, some of which we have inherited from our families.Did you ever wonder why a Jewish descendant of Holocaust refugees or survivors would become a German citizen? Did you even know that was a thing? Donna Swarthout is one of those who amidst much soul searching and navigation of bureaucracy reclaimed the German citizenship that had been stripped from her ancestors. Her soul-searching was expressed in a therapeutic online blog and many of her readers were also descendants of German Jews scattered around the globe. Thus she made the connections with Jews around the diaspora whose personal stories of reclamation are told in this anthology.Their reasons are as different as the individual contributors. They are of different nationalities, various ages, a variety of talents and professions and each wrestled with very different desires and misgivings. But all came to the conclusion that they want to be German. Swarthout contributed her own fascinating story, rich in reflection, and then as an afterword she contributed a sort of “how-to” chapter for anyone considering an application for restored citizenship. It’s a beautiful book about reconciliation as the descendants of refugees and survivors reclaim citizenship, recognizing that Germany has changed and now once again plays a positive role in the world.Each essay is a little different; a couple are by people who actually live in Germany, but most are by people who just visit now and then. The essays by German residents seemed a bit more engaging, because they gave me a bit more of a feel for Germany- especially Berlin (which seems to attract expatriates more than the rest of the country).How do you process being Jewish with German roots? Do you shun your Germanness or look it straight in the eyes and make peace with it? This book takes you on the very personal journeys of Jews from around the world who have chosen the latter option, forgoing easy answers for a complex sense of reconciliation.12 short stories written by 12 descendants of Holocaust survivors. Each describes their own journey on the road to reconciliation and reconnecting with their roots in modern Germany. These stories demonstrated to me how personal reconciliation is and how it is intertwined with family and heritage . Honest, uplifting and intimate.Why children of holocaust victims living outside of Germany would want to reclaim German citizenship is unexpected, virtually unknown until now and movingly described in the very personal histories collected in this book. You will not forget what you read.If you are wondering why over 50,000 Jews have reclaimed German citizenship, and quite a few have moved to Germany, this poignant book provides some answers.Personal stories on an interesting and little-known topic. Each chapter presents a different and compelling perspective.