Ellen's Reviews > The Son and Heir: A Memoir

When he was just a child of 4, Alexander Munninghoff found a shiny black helmet in the attic and playfully put it on his head. Reactions from his family were mixed: both horrified and amused. The helmet had belonged to his father Frans when he was a member of the Nazi regime as an SS soldier. Although the family had been living in the Netherlands for many years, Frans had always longed for Germany and the rise of Hitler gave him the impetus to leave his well-to-do family behind despite his own father's warnings that he would be disowned. Frans didn't care and was gladly taken into the Nazi party where he spent several years as an interpreter and later on the front lines. Returning to his family after the war was difficult but Frans never had any trouble accepting money from his father. Marriage to the beautiful Wera and the birth of their son Alexander barely caused a blip in Frans's radar. Eventually Wera fled the Munninghoff family with Alexander knowing full well that Frans' father, "The Old Boss", would come after her. Kidnapping and custody battles ensued bringing Alexander back to the Netherlands to his father and his new wife. It would be years before he would see his mother Wera again while the supremely uninvolved Frans spent his life on failing get-rich schemes.

Alexander, who lived into his 70's, was a much celebrated journalist and author. He never spoke of his family's history until this memoir which garnered several prestigious awards.