"The foreign German" depicts the story of a Tamil war refugee who came to Germany as an unattended 12-year-old boy, and who successfully has blended in. In a vivid way Umeswaran Arunagirinathan narrates his way from being a person with exceptional leave to remain for humanitarian reasons, to becoming a physician, as well as a German citizen. In doing so he also fathoms the potential, expectations as well as challenges of the process of an integration. Furthermore, he critically deals with way of life and culture of his country of origin. Writing his book the author wants to ask German people for a better understanding of refugees; and at the same time he wants to encourage the latter to integrate into German society.

Umeswaran Arunagirinathan was born in Sri Lanka 1978. As an unaccompanied child refugee he came to Germany in 1991. Eight years later he started his studies at the University in Lübeck. Nowadays he works as cardiac specialist in Bremen, a city close to Hamburg.