David K. Wessel is one of six children born to Karl-Heinz Wessel, the main character of Choosing Sides. He is a retired diplomat who served at embassies in Rome, Budapest, Podgorica (Montenegro) and Guatemala. When it comes to writing about the years leading up to World War II, David relies not only on his family story, but fifty years of studying how the Weimar Republic shaped the lives of ‘ordinary Germans’. He majored in history (Rutgers University) with a focus on Germany between the wars and has continued his interest in the subject ever since. After leaving foreign service, he returned to those studies and dove into the specific research that is so well reflected in Choosing Sides.

David is a member of the American Historical Association, Historical Novel Writers Association, National Council for History Education, Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training, Military Writers Society of America, New Hampshire Writers Project, North Carolina Writers Network, Northern Virginia Writers Club, Virginia Writers Club and Wright Museum of World War II.