A soldier goes missing two days before the Armistice ends World War I.A decorated pilot encrypts his account of a failed diamond deal.A national police officer is executed on the order of Joseph Stalin.An industrialist loses everything he helped build, first in part to the Nazis, then totally to the Communists. A shopkeeper is arrested by the Gestapo and both he and his wife spend years in a forced labor camp and their sons are put in foster care.A civil servant hires a genealogist to prove German ancestry, changes his birth record, and dies in the rubble of the Third Reich.They were brothers.This true story is an exploration of one family's experience in a time of violence, displacement, and repression. The author reveals how eugenics and tribalism shaped immigration and citizenship laws in the U.S. and Germany in the twentieth century, and how a generation was affected by the rampant ethnic nationalism of the time. and "Historian von Loewe examines his roots and family history, uncovering a rich tapestry of his past while transporting readers along a remarkable route through 20th-century Poland, Germany and America. This winding, incredibly detailed, and sometimes tragic genealogy not only impacts von Loewe's identity, it also transforms his perspective of family and his own past. The prose is well-researched and thoughtful, avoiding the dry tone that sometimes accompanies historical memoirs. Von Loewe's passion for history is evident, while his determination to uncover his family's past makes the narrative both interesting and a pleasure to read. What sets Lost Roots apart is its well-detailed, heartfelt storytelling that will capture readers from the first page. Lost Roots cleverly heightens the mystery of von Loewe's past while developing his relatives' stories in the same vein as suspenseful fiction, expertly setting up readers for each new event and connecting them deeply to the story as it unfolds. and " - The BookLife Prize and "Well written, exhaustively researched, and a beautiful compilation of a family's lost collective history. and " - Readers' Favorite and "A well-researched and sentimental memoir [that] details the way oppressive structures have altered the identity of millions of families. Lost Roots has equal parts nostalgic storytelling and detailed research, providing beguiling context for what's happening in Poland, Germany, and America. I was completely enthralled until the very last word. and " and u0026