The Strassmanns: Science, Politics and Migration in Turbulent Times, 1793-1993

Oversized hardcover, xv + 262pp + 34 pages of b&w photos, NOT ex-library. Minor handling wear only, book is fresh, clean and bright throughout with unmarked text, free of inscriptions and stamps, firmly bound. Issued without a dust jacket. -- Written by a direct descendant, this book chronicles the 200-year saga of the Strassmanns, a prominent German-Jewish family whose members were at the forefront of science, medicine, and social reform in Germany. Beginning in the late 18th century, the narrative traces the family's rise from provincial roots to the intellectual and political elite of Berlin, where they became pioneers in fields like surgery and social gynecology. The book uses a rich trove of letters, diaries, and archival documents to paint an intimate portrait of a family navigating the turbulent currents of German history: the hopes of the 1848 revolutions, the opportunities of the German Empire, the cultural brilliance of the Weimar Republic, and the catastrophic persecution of the Nazi era. A central figure is the chemist Fritz Strassmann, co-discoverer of nuclear fission, whose story is woven into the larger family narrative of assimilation, achievement, and, ultimately, forced migration and survival. More than just a family biography, The Strassmanns serves as a compelling microhistory, illustrating the profound contributions and tragic fate of Germany's Jewish intelligentsia.…