FATHERLAND: A Memoir of War, Conscience, and Family Secrets, by Burkhard Bilger Every family tree has a twisted branch or two. Burkhard Bilger’s is unusually gnarly. His maternal grandfather ...

Today's episode is about untangling and understanding untold family stories. First, Burkhard Bilger speaks with NPR's Scott Simon about his memoir, Fatherland, which explores his grandfather's ...

Burkhard Bilger grew up in a family of German immigrants in Oklahoma in the 1960s and says his mother spoke of Nazism and World War II. And she might tell a sinister fairy tale in rough ...

“Also for my kids — that they don’t have to hide, that it’s not the toxic family secret.” Burkhard Bilger’s search for the truth about his grandfather helped him renounce old ideas ...

This question is especially poignant when the past brings to light uncomfortable revelations about our family history. A mug shot of Karl Gönner. Courtesy of Burkhard Bilger Fatherland delves ...