I BOOK REVIEW
One amazing story
is better than fiction
BYTERRI
SCHUCHENMEYER
FOR THE CHRONICLE
You've heard the sto
ries.
Great-Grandpa made
hooch in the basement dur
ing Prohibition. Grandma
was arrested for protesting
back in the '60s. Your
great-grandma once
chased a man off with a
gun
Scandalous then,
maybe, but quaint family
stories now. You cherish
those rebel-rousing ances
tors of yours - but in "My
Grandfather Would Have
Shot Me" by Jennifer
Teege and Nikola Sellmair,
some tales may lie buried.
At 38 years old,
Jennifer Teege had every
thing she wanted: a degree,
success, a husband, two
healthy sons, and a bright
future.
And then, while idly
browsing in a nearby
library, she says, "I found
the book."
Photos inside it seemed
familiar - then recogniza
ble. They were pictures of
her birth mother and the
grandmother Teege loved.
And between the pictures
was a story that was "the
key to my family history,
to my life": the mother
who gave Teege up for
adoption was the child of
one of Germany's most
notorious Nazis.
The grandmother who
cared for Teege as a child
was the mistress of Amon
Goeth, commandant of
Plaszdw concentration
camp.
Did her adoptive par
ents know the truth? Teege
had contact with her moth
er until she was 7 years old
and she knew her father
was Nigerian; why didn't
anyone say anything about
the bigger secret of their
lives? And how could
Teege ever reconcile the
gentle grandma she loved
with the woman who sure
ly knew what was going on
at the camp, but who chose
to ignore it in favor of a
life of comfort?
Though it felt like
picking at a painful scab,
Teege needed to know
everything about her
grandfather, a man she
understood would have
been outraged at her very
existence. She toured his
home near Plaszdw, and
visited sites of former con
centration camps. She
looked hard at old photos,
and contacted her birth
parents to find closure.
"I want to walk
upright, to live a normal
life," she says. "There is no
such thing as inherited
guilt. Everybody has the
right to their own life
story."
Think that's impactful?
Just wait....
Half of "My
Grandfather Would Have
Shot Me" is what you just
learned - which is so pow
erful, so striking a tale that
it's impossible to tear your
self away.
Except there's more.
Author Jennifer Teege
tells about her experiences,
her memories, and her
heartbreaking repugnance
for her ancestry, but jour
nalist Nikola Sellmair acts
as a sort of narrator, filling
in the historical gaps
among Teege's tale.
Sellmair's part of this book
puts Teege's words into
perspective, in short, and
so we see modern personal
anguish side-by-side with
past brutality and horror.
We read about warm
fuzzies, followed by
breathtaking inhumanity
and, in the juxtaposition of
the two, we become just as
baffled as is Teege about
events that don't make
sense. Wow.
Without Sellmair's half
of this book, I think this
would be just another
biography; with her half,
it's just incredible for
World War II scholars, stu
dents, and biographers.
Now out in paperback,
"My Grandfather Would
Have Shot Me" is one
amazing story.
Terri Schlichenmeyer
has been reading since she
was three years old and
she never goes anywhere
without a book. She lives
on a hill in Wisconsin with
two dogs and 14,000
books.
"My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me"
by Jennifer Teege and Nikola Sellmair
c.2015, The Experiment
$ 14.95 / $22.95 Canada 240 pages
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
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My Grandfather
Would Have Shot Me
A BIACK WOMAN DISCOVERS
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from page B4
uments/One-stop_early_voting .pdf
Oct. 22 - Democratic Men Breakfast
The Democratic Men will hold their
breakfast on Oct. 22 at 9 a.m. in FCDP HQ,
1128 Burke Street. Members are encour
aged to bring guests for food, fellowship
and election preview. The program will be
presented by a distinguished panel of three
experts. Senator Linda Garrou will present
the Best Case and Worst Case Scenarios for
the General Assembly. Professor Katy
Harriger, Chairman of the Dept. of Political
Science and International Relations at
Wake Forest University (WFU) will dis
cuss the stakes for America, Senator Cal
Cunningham, a practicing attorney, captain
in the US Army Reserve and former mem
ber of the NC Senate will focus on the
effects of the statewide races.
Oct. 20-22 - Performance of
"Dracula"
Winston-Salem Festival Ballet will
transport you across time and space to late
19th century Romania with Dracula, chore
ography by Gary Taylor, original score by
Chris Heckman, on
Thursday, Oct. 20, at 7:30 pm., and
Friday and Saturday, Oct. 21-22, at 8 p.m.
at the Hanesbrands Theatre, 209 N Spruce
St. Tickets available at the Hanesbrands
Box office by calling 336-747-1414. Ticket
[rices range $3050-$34.75, with $19.75
student rush tickets available with valid ID
15 minutes prior to show time. Visit win
stonsalemfestivalballet.org for more infor
mation.
Oct. 20-29 - Performance of "After
the FalT
The University of North Carolina
School of the Arts (UNCSA) presents
Arthur Miller's most personal and autobio
graphical play, "After the Fall," Oct. 20-29
in Catawba Theatre of Performance Place
on the campus at 1533 South Main St.
Drama Dean Carl Forsman directs Studio
IV, the senior class, for ten performances.
Tickets are $18 regular and $15 students
with valid ID, and are available at
UNCSA.edu/performances or by calling
the box office at 336-721-1945.
Oct. 21-23 - Production of "Little
Girl Blue"
Onyx Qube Productions will present
"Little Girl Blue," a concert drama show
case inspired by the life and music of Nina
Simone, Oct. 21-23, at SECCA, 750
Marguerite Dr. It is written by award-win
ning playwright Nathan Ross Freeman. It
stars soul/jazz singer, songwriter, pianist
and international recording artist
Markeisha Ensley, and introducing pianist,
vocalist and rising thespian Bijan Miarra
Shaw. Mature audiences recommended. A
preview night will be held on Thursday,
Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30 and $25
for seniors and students. Performances
with a reception will be held on Friday,
Oct. 21, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $40 ($35
without reception) and $30 for seniors and
students. Additional performances will be
Saturday, Oct. 22 at 8 p.m. and Sunday,
Oct. 23 at 3 p.m. Purchase tickets by going
t ? r*
www.littlegirlbluebrownpapertickets.com
or at the door.
Oct. 21 - Dec. 2 - Medicare Annual
Enrollment Sessions
The Medicare Annual Enrollment peri
od will take place from Oct. IS to
December 7. To assist Medicare beneficiar
ies, the annual enrollment sessions are
being offered on Fridays from Oct. 21
through December 2. The sessions will
assist Medicare beneficiaries to review
their drug plans and Medicare Advantage
plans and make changes if necessary.
Trained Seniors' Health Insurance
Information Program (SHIIP) counselors
will be available to assist in the enrollment
process. Enrollment sessions will be con
ducted on the following Fridays: Oct. 21
and 28; November 4, 11 and 18; and
December 2. All of the enrollment sessions
will be held at the Shepherd's Center of
Greater Winston-Salem, 1700 Ebert Street.
One hour appointments will be offered
from 1 p.m. - 5 pjn. Space is limited.
Appointments must be made by calling the
^epherd's Center at 336-748-0217.
NCDOT to Hold A Public MEETING IN November
FOR PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION OF GREAT WAGON ROAD FROM
SHALLOWFORD ROAD TO LEWISVILLE-VIENNA ROAD IN LEWISVILLE
TIP Project # U-5536
Division 9 Forsyth County
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) will hold a public meet
ing in Lewisville on November 1 st regarding the proposed construction of Great
Wagon Road from Shallowford Road (S.R. 1001) to Lewisville-Vienna Road (S.R.
1308) in Lewisville. The proposed project would include a multilane facility on
new location with bicycle and pedestrian accommodations.
The public meeting will take place on November 1st, 2016, from 4:00 p.m. to
7:00 p.m. at Lewisville Town Hall located at 6510 Shallowford Road in
Lewisville. Interested citizens may attend at any time and NCDOT representa
tives will be available to answer questions and receive comments regarding the
proposed projects. No formal presentation will be made. Attendees will also have
the opportunity to submit written comments and questions.
The public can view maps as they become available for Project U-5536 online at
http://www.ncdot.gov/projects/publicmeetinqs,
For additional information, contact Mr. Brett Abernathy, P.E., Division 9 Project
Manager, by phone at (336) 747-7800 or by email at jbabernathy@ncdot.gov. All
comments must be received no later than November 15, 2016.
NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabil
ities Act for disabled persons who wish to participate in this hearing. Anyone re
quiring special services should contact Diane Wilson, NCDOT- Human
Environment Section at 1598 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1598, by
phone at (919) 707-6073, or by email at pdwilsonl @ncdot.gov as early as possi
ble so that arrangements can be made.
Persons who speak Spanish and do not speak English, or have a limited ability to
read, speak or understand English, may receive interpretive services upon request
prior to the meeting by calling 1 -800-481 -6494.
Aquellas personas que hablan espanol y no hablan ingles, o tlenen limita
ciones para leer, hablar o entender ingles, podrian recibir servicios de in
terpretacibn si los solicitan antes de la reunidn llamando al 1-800-481-6494.
The Chronicle October 13, 2016
? * NORTH CAROLINA AGRICULTURAL
?JEaJb AND TECHNICAL STATE UNIVERSITY
Sp, FALL OPEN HOUSE
Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016
10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Corbett Sports Center
1601 East Market Street
Greensboro, NC 27411
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? All-inclusive day for middle
school, high school and
transfer students
? Talk to students, faculty,
staff, and administrators
? Tour the beautiful campus
? Explore academic offerings
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