Granddaughter of Notorious Nazi SS Captain Amon Goeth to Speak at UW Nov. 16

Author Jennifer Teege, who grew up not knowing that her grandfather was Amon Goeth, the vicious World War II Nazi SS captain and the commandant of the Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp, will discuss her family’s history Wednesday, Nov. 16, at the University of Wyoming.

She will talk about her book, “My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me: A Black Woman Discovers Her Family's Nazi Past,” at 7 p.m. in the UW College of Business auditorium. Guests should arrive by 6:45 p.m. The free 45-minute public lecture will be followed by a question-and-answer session and book signing. The University Store will sell copies of her book at the event. Her book also is available for purchase at the University Store.

A “Germany Meets the U.S.” grant helps sponsor the program.

Teege, a German-Nigerian woman, grew up not knowing her past -- that her grandfather was the sadistic Nazi commandant, portrayed by Ralph Fiennes in the Academy Award-winning film “Schindler’s List,” directed by Steven Spielberg.

As an adult, looking through a library book, Teege’s life would be irrevocably altered. Recognizing photos of her mother and grandmother in the book, she discovered the horrifying fact: that Goeth was her grandfather.

Although raised in an orphanage and eventually adopted, Teege had some contact with her biological mother and grandmother as a child. Over the years, Teege struggled to reconnect with her estranged mother, Monika, and to accept that her beloved grandmother once lived in luxury as Goeth’s mistress at Plaszów. Yet, neither revealed that Teege’s grandfather was the Nazi “butcher of Plaszów,” executed for crimes against humanity in 1946.

Her 2013 New York Times best-selling memoir is reviewed as “haunting and unflinching” by The Washington Post, and “unforgettable” by Publishers Weekly.

For more information about the program, call Tracey Patton, African-American Diaspora Studies director, at (307) 766-3857 or email topatton@uwyo.edu.