Born, Raised, and Murdered in Germany: the all-too-short life of my brother Gökhan Gültekin and the Hanau attack

Geboren, aufgewachsen und ermordet in Deutschland

review

In this moving and profoundly personal account of the life and death of Gökhan Gültekin – one of the nine victims of the racially motivated terrorist attack in Hanau, Germany, in 2020 – Gökhan’s brother Çetin describes their upbringing in Germany as the children of Turkish immigrants, his brother’s resilience through personal difficulties, and his unwavering optimism.  

Viewed through the eyes of Gökhan’s brother, Çetin, the book’s structure alternates between personal narrative and political commentary to great effect, skilfully mirroring the emotional journey of the author and his family. After using personal anecdotes in the first half of the book to illustrate Gökhan’s values and character, Çetin’s account shifts to the horrific events on the day of the attack and their immediate aftermath. Here, the narrative becomes faster-paced and the description at times unflinchingly gruesome as the authors reconstruct the chaos, trauma, and disbelief that followed. The book raises unflinching questions about the way the authorities responded to the killings, alleging systemic failures on the part of government institutions, while also reflecting on broader issues of racism, identity, and belonging in Germany. The final chapters examine the long-term impact of the attack, the family’s pursuit of justice, and the societal and political implications of the recent surge in right-wing anti-immigrant extremism. 

While there are many journalistic accounts of right-wing terror incidents, including survivors’ accounts, this book differs in that it is written from the perspective of one of the victim’s family members. A comparable title is Florian Hartleb’s Lone Wolves: The New Terrorism of Right-Wing Single Actors (Springer, 2020), which profiles perpetrators of right-wing attacks and explores their motivations, albeit in a more analytical, less personal way. Already a bestseller in Germany, an excerpt from ‘Born, Raised and Murdered in Germany’ has been translated and featured in the journal Transit and formed part of a UK book tour in 2024. In highlighting the dangers of right-wing extremism as well as a family’s search for justice, it has wider relevance, especially in the light of racist attacks occurring throughout Europe and beyond. Far more than a personal tribute by a loving and grieving brother, this is a powerful critique of a society that passively allows racist attacks to take place and that continues to respond to cases of blatant injustice with indifference.  

Find out more: https://foreignrights.penguinrandomhouse.de/born-raised-and-killed-germany/978-3-453-60666-1

about the authors

Çetin Gültekin (b. 1974) is an industrial mechanic by training. Until the terror attack of 19 February 2020, he was self-employed and ran his own transport firm. He was born in Hanau, where he still lives, and where he has become a famous face in the fight against racism and for greater transparency – in his brother’s name, but also on behalf of the other victims and those they left behind.

rights information

Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe

Contact: Gesche Wendebourg
gesche.wendebourg@penguinrandomhouse.de
Tel: +49 (0)89 41363313

www.penguinrandomhouse.de 

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