Farewell Marienburg

Life in Marienburg, Germany, in November 1929 was traumatic. The stock market and banks of Germany collapsed, the Berlin soup kitchens could not keep up with the hungry, and unemployment skyrocketed. In this town of 30,000, during this defining moment in history, Claus Neumann was born.

Neumann captures his fascinating story in a candid memoir that first details his idyllic childhood and then charts his progress as he grows from enthusiastic student, patriot, and member of Hitler Youth, to a disillusioned teen defending his homeland. He inevitably becomes a refugee who flees the Russians from two separate homes before reaching freedom in the West. Along the way, he smuggles, works as a cook’s apprentice simply to eat, and serves time as a prisoner in solitary confinement in one of the most notorious political prisons in East Germany. Neumann eventually becomes cynical about systems and politics but remains filled with optimism about life, traveling to many countries and finding an unusual way to immigrate to the United States. Farewell Marienburg provides not only an interesting perspective into a boy’s youthful and naïve admiration of Hitler, but also a poignant glimpse into a young man’s courage and determination as he struggles to save both himself and his family.