AngloGerman Manchester explores the lives of Germans in Manchester from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, combining cultural and historical study with autobiographical material. Through a series of studies of individual Germans - immigrants or visitors to Manchester - the book uniquely brings together figures not usually associated with one another, including Frederick Engels, Fanny Lewald, Rabbi Felix Carlebach and W. G. Sebald. Several are connected by a history of refuge or, in Sebald's case, chosen exile. The 1848 revolutions in Europe form the backdrop to several of their stories, including that of German writer Fanny Lewald, who visited Manchester in 1850. A chapter on Jewish refugees from Nazism takes up the same theme. The final chapter represents a shift, geographical and political.

Taking up the theme of reparation, the author visits Germans in their home country, people who have dedicated themselves in various ways to making amends for the crimes of a previous generation. Memorial stones for members of the author's family provide a permanent link from Germany to Manchester.