The author was invited to speak at a special program of the Germanic-American Institute in Saint Paul, Minnesota. One interesting theme focused on an event in Paul Mayer’s life in the US Army as a member of the “Ritchie Boys,” a special unit of the US Intelligence Service made up entirely of native German speakers, all trained in the art of interrogation. They were deployed first in England to interrogate German Wehrmacht officers captured in the days and weeks after the Allied invasion on D-Day, and then to Paris following the liberation of that city, and then to the Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Compiegne. What happened when Paul was confronted with the opportunity to interrogate his best friend from his days growing up in Cologne? It’s in the book…

The author was invited to sign newly purchased copies of his book, My Father Against the Nazis, at The Bookstore at Fitger’s Inn, Duluth, MN. What was interesting was the number of people who stopped by to relate the stories they’d grown up with about their elders’ travails during the war, or immigration, or their struggle to leave Germany after 1933.

The author was invited to make a presentation of his book at the home of Warren Hanson and Denise Mayotte. A particularly lively discussion ensued sharing perspectives on how much the United States now has (and has not) followed the footsteps of Germany in the 1920s and 1930s.

On this episode of “Life Unscripted” we ask the question, “Are we in the US repeating the dark time of Nazi Germany?” Author Steven E. Mayer shares with Alix Kendall his family’s history as detailed in his memoir, My Father Against the Nazis. Even though it wasn’t Mayer’s intention to write of this parallel, the crisis happening in Minneapolis since “Operation Metro Surge” began, where masked ICE agents have been brutally grabbing people off the streets and changing their lives perhaps forever, have been sounding the alarm bells with many Holocaust educators. Connecting dots and examining generational trauma is what this conversation is all about.

ICE OUT: Minnesota Writers Rising Up is a powerful anthology of poetry and prose responding to the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minnesota—and to the human cost of policies that blur the line between law enforcement and occupation. Included in this timely collection is Steven Mayer’s insightful essay, Is the US becoming like Germany in the 1930s? Published in collaboration between Afton Press and Calumet Editions, ICE OUT is both a work of literature and an act of resistance. It speaks to readers concerned with immigration justice, civil liberties, contemporary American politics, and the enduring role of writers in times of crisis. This book is for readers who believe that words still matter—and that bearing witness is a form of action.

Paul Metsa dives into a powerful conversation with legendary folk musician Charlie Maguire and author Steven E. Mayer about the resilience of the human spirit. We’re drawing parallels between the historic 1934 Minneapolis truckers’ strike, the Iron Range labor battles, and the current struggles for justice on our city streets. It’s an episode steeped in local history, family legacy, and the enduring strength of communities standing together in hard times.

Described as “part memoir, 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. –Athens, Georgia, alternative weekly newspaper

After [his induction into the US Army] Paul was able to help the Jewish [and American] 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. Pioneer Press Review

On a podcast for TC Jewfolk, Dr. Mayer was asked: “You’ve written on topics that are more closely linked to your work as a social scientist; do you think that this book skews away from it, or is it a branch of that genre? Your father came to America, became a Ritchie Boy — one of the Jewish, U.S. Army soldiers who escaped Nazi Germany and Austria — and became a reparations lawyer. Did his experience escaping the Nazis help steer him to his career? Did the journey of writing this book help you understand your father and what he experienced? Tune in here.”

The author arrived at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the biggest book fair in the world, to show off his new, just published book, My Father Against the Nazis.

Listen to a recent “Write On! Radio” interview broadcast on KFAI-FM, where Dr. Mayer addresses these questions: “Your reading of German history is quite pronounced, especially re the good, bad and ugly. Have you always been a student of history or did it become part of your passion while researching and later writing the book? What do you hope the takeaway is for Jews — and non-Jews — in reading this memoir? You say that America 2025 is not Germany 1933. However, do you agree with the many assessments that the current political climate in America parallels those earlier times, and if you do, is this memoir then really a cautionary tale for readers?