Between Two Chairs

Who are you if you have lived half your life in one culture and the other half in another? This is the question that Helmut (Tom) Mueller dealt with, often feeling caught between the two cultures. In his memoir, Between Two Chairs, Tom details his life from coming of age in Nazi Germany to a successful life in the United States. This is his story. Born into an affluent family in Brandenburg, Germany in 1925, Tom became fascinated with flying in his youth and eventually joined the Luftwaffe where he saw action as a fighter pilot during WWII. At war’s end, he surrendered to the American forces, but was turned over to the Russians the next day. His escape, the search for family, and the attempt to create a normal life dominated the decade after the war. Then came an opportunity to pursue the American Dream where Tom learned to appreciate the values of his new country. In the end, who was he? Helmut the German or Tom the American?