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This cultural-historical book is the declaration of love for Berlin of a half-Jew who was born and grew up in a typical Berlin neighborhood. Now he lives in the United States, but his roots are still in Berlin. According to The Nuremberg Laws of 1936, he is a Mischling ersten Gradees, a half Jew, but is referred to by many Berliners as a Mampe Halb und Halb, a well-known bitter and herbal liqueur. The book depicts, among other things, life in a Berlin neighborhood with its language, its mixture of heart and snout; growing up with Jewish blood in his veins in the Third Reich; and living during the war and in the post-war era. Until 1945 the author's life vacillated between the twins Eros and Thanatos, but Eros was the stronger of the two.
About the author
My name is Gerd K. Schneider. I am over 92 years old, and I am legally blind. I lived in Berlin during the Holocaust, the Second World War, and the Russian invasion. I am a learned waiter, came to the US, published 17 books, and wrote over 100 articles. I have studied and worked as a professor of German for over 40 years at Syracuse University.
