“Described as ‘part memory, part history, part biography, part prophecy’, Steven Mayer’s book is his attempt to find some peace with his difficult father…. and is required reading for anyone interested in learning more about the run-up to World War II. Sometimes to tell a big story, you go small, and that’s what Mayer has done, using the experiences of his father and extended family to tell the story of World War II and the Holocaust.”  Read full review.

“After the war, when Paul was a U.S. citizen, he was able to help the Jewish cause by becoming part of the intelligence group called “the Ritchie Boys” who helped interrogate Nazi prisoners. This secret U.S. military intelligence unit, composed mostly of Jewish refugees, was trained at Camp Ritchie, Md. Later in life Paul sought justice by working for reparations for Jews who had lost everything under the Third Reich. ‘He understood that defeating fascism is not a one-time victory; it is generational work,’ Mayer writes of his father.” Read full review.

“My Father Against the Nazis is a truly remarkable story told by a son about his brilliant and courageous father who maintained his humanity and integrity during the reign of Nazi Germany, one of history’s most horrific periods. Steve’s ability to describe and explain political and personal history, to bring it to life, draws extensively upon the lineages of his father, Paul Mayer, and mother, Margaret Koch, both of whom came from generations of distinguished and accomplished families of doctors, lawyers, rabbis, intellectuals, and highly successful business owners. His stories include valuable personal, philosophical, historical, political, and prophetic lessons and insights.”

“This beautifully written memoir, with its intimate storytelling and insightful historical reflection, is an urgent call for vigilance, compassion, and the courage to confront history head-on.”

“This extraordinary book is the result of the author’s avid pursuit of his father’s story–a father he barely knew and admittedly did not care much for. Paul Mayer, the father, was a young Jewish lawyer at the time of the Nazi incursion in Germany. Paul and his wife escaped, though reluctantly, to America, but he never fully recovered from the eventual news that his own parents had been murdered in Auschwitz. But what struck me most was how alive and complex Mayer feels on the page. He was a man of principle, a “quiet warrior” who never stopped writing passionate anti-fascist pieces in German American newspapers. The book is briskly written and full of important historical context, yet it is never heavy-handed. Now as history feels dangerously close to repeating itself, this book could not be more important. I highly recommend it—not just as a family story, but as a reminder of what resilience and moral courage look like.”