Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • Destined to Witness

  • Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany
  • By: Hans Massaquoi
  • Narrated by: Peter Jay Fernandez
  • Length: 19 hrs and 58 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (18 ratings)
Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Destined to Witness cover art

Destined to Witness

By: Hans Massaquoi
Narrated by: Peter Jay Fernandez
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Buy Now for £29.99

Buy Now for £29.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

My Dear Boy cover art
After the Roundup cover art
Lunch with Charlotte cover art
Boxing for Cuba cover art
The Inextinguishable Symphony cover art
Measure of a Man: A Memoir cover art
Finding Fish cover art
My Country cover art
Wild Swans cover art
A Prayer for Owen Meany cover art
The Fountainhead cover art
Diary of a Dead Man on Leave cover art
The Power of One cover art
When Worlds Collide cover art
The Winds of War cover art
North and South cover art

Summary

What would life be like for a Black boy growing up in Nazi Germany? This unprecedented autobiography answers that question with the spellbinding true story of Hans J. Massaquoi’s life in Hamburg during the height of Hitler’s regime. 

Hans is the son of a Black Liberian diplomat father and a white German mother. His father returns to Africa at the beginning of the war, leaving them behind in poverty and without the means to flee. Bewildered, Hans is force-fed ceaseless anti-semitic and anti-African propaganda in his schools. Within this tense atmosphere, increasingly violent Nazi policies and Allied bombing raids make Hans and his mother’s lives a desperate day-to-day struggle for survival. 

Through countless close calls, Hans perseveres by his ingenuity, strength of character and a liberal dose of good luck - eventually going on to find his father in Liberia and emigrate to America. 

Peter Jay Fernandez’s intense narration brilliantly punctuates all of the tragedy and triumph in this monumental audiobook.

©1999 Hans J. Massaquoi (P)2001 Recorded Books

What listeners say about Destined to Witness

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    14
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    12
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    13
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Truly Unforgettable

I read this book back in 1999/2000 when it was first published and found it to be one of the greatest autobiographies I'd ever read. In October 2020 I found it on audible and decided to listen to it again. I'm listening for the second time and cannot fully express my gratitude for Hans J Massaquoi for writing this book, also for the EXCELLENT narration that Peter Jay Fernandez has done with re telling it in his own voice. His performance, like the story is truly unforgettable. I would urge anyone to read this book to discover the kind of trials a human being can face while avoiding bitterness and revenge. It is a wonderful account of a kind, funny, thoughtful, clever, hardworking and loving man. May he rest in Peace always.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Really Interesting Perspective

This book was very enjoyable. A different perspective on Nazi Germany, from a boy who considered himself a proper little German, yet wasn't wanted by the authorities in his country. It is amazing how little racism he experiences from most normal people and then suddenly (like when he tries to join the Hitler Youth) he finds his services are not required. An excellent book, telling a fascinating story with an admirable lightness of touch.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Interesting....

informative and compelling to listen to. I highly recommend this book. The narrator was very good.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Captivating listen

A unique and detailed insight into a young boys life in a hostile regime. it was touching to hear of the people who went out of their way to defend his right to be treated fairly.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing Truthful detail

Would you listen to Destined to Witness again? Why?

Yes, because the book goes into such detail, I feel that if I was to read it again I'd pick up on more details that maybe I hadn't caught previously.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked that there were tense moments, moments of equilibrium and disequilibrium throughout the story. It never ceased to catch my all round focus. I like how the narrator/author goes into depth about his surroundings, it makes it easy for me to picture the exact environment, allowing me to vision it exactly from the last point that I'd listened to the book.

Have you listened to any of Peter Jay Fernandez’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It was so captivating to me that I didn't want the book to end, so I made sure to listen to about 3 hours each day, so that I had something to look forward to at the end of each day.

Any additional comments?

Amazing and inspiring book. Reading this, you are able to capture the history of civilians of the World War 2 from a different perspective.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!