Reviews (1)

Adolf Hitler!
Adolf Hilter, a fascinating yet despised man of his times would be a hero to many, but a murderer to some. He has had the courage to lead thousands upon thousands of women, men, and children.He has changed my way of thinking and probably others who thing of Hitler as their hero. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

EXTEMELY Interesting and HISTORICALLY acurate book
EXTEMELY Interesting and HISTORICALLY acurate book written just prior to World War-II by an American Theodore Abel who went to Germany, witnessed the Depression, Inflation, Right and Left Wing rioting and activities, first hand.

Theodore Abel went further into understanding WHY and HOW Hitler and his Nationalist Socialist party took root among the "ordinary middle class and uneducated lower class German people" and he obtained thousands of autobiographies from the ordinary German people by offering prizes under the auspices of Columbia University. He received over 600 essays from Nazi Party members which revealed why they had embraced Nazi-ism and Hitler with the enthusiasm that they did.

Some of these essays are printed word for word in this book which Abel presents as the life histories of A WORKER, A SOLDIER, AN ANTI-SEMITE, A MIDDLE CLASS YOUTH, A FARMER, A BANK CLERK.

This books main purpose is to show in the light of the author's unique personal data, the relative importance of each of the factors which led to Hitler's rise to power.

Afer reading this book,...you be the judge of "COULD IT HAPPEN AGAIN?". ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Review-Adolf Hitler
This book was an interesting documentary of Adolf Hitler's life.I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in finding out information about Adolf Hitler's life before and during WWII.This book describes his life in detail many of his ideas and plans.This also tells how he rose to power and how this was not his intended future when he was a child.It tells about his relationships with his mother and others also.This book is good for those looking for information about Adolf Hitler.I would also recommend it to anyone who has any interest at all in Adolf Hitler. ... Read more

Book Description

The man with the blistering slapshot was the ultimate combination of power, speed, and intimidation. Bobby Hull, the leader of the great Chicago Black Hawks, remains one of the sport's most colorful characters, a master in a game with few new superstars. Dozens of vintage photographs and complete stats complete this tribute to an amazing athlete from hockey's golden era. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

MacInnis Does it Again
The "Remembering..." series transcends normal biography by showcasing top quality journalist's recollections with statistics and insights into the player and their game.

Remembering the Golden Jet is no different. From Bobby Hull's early days playing minor hockey, to his watershed defection from the NHL to play for Winnipeg, a move that would rock the hockey world and force the league to re-evaluate it's salary policy forever.

For Blackhawks fans this book charts the progress of a player who was feared by goalies everywhere for his blistering slapshot.

I have read every Bobby Hull book out there, and nothing comes close in it's insights, in it's recognition of Hull as a true Legend of the game, as this beautifully designed book.

I can't recommend it highly enough. ... Read more

Book Description

By the acclaimed journalist and bestselling author ofThe Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, this day-by-day, eyewitness account of the momentous events leading up to World War II in Europe is now available in a new paperback edition.

CBS radio broadcaster William L. Shirer was virtually unknown in 1940 when he decided there might be a book in the diary he had kept in Europe during the 1930s -- specifically those sections dealing with the collapse of the European democracies and the rise of Nazi Germany.

Berlin Diary first appeared in 1941, and the timing was perfect. The energy, the passion, the electricity in it were palpable. The book was an instant success, and it became the frame of reference against which thoughtful Americans judged the rush of events in Europe. It exactly matched journalist to event: the right reporter at the right place at the right time. It stood, and still stands, as so few books have ever done -- a pure act of journalistic witness.

Reviews (19)

Shirer Does Not Present Both Sides
A reviewer above makes the excellent point that this book is "childish" because "Shirer was very prejudiced and hostile towards the regime in Germany at the time."How true! Shirer seems undisguisedly outraged as the Jews in occupied Austria commit suicide as their cohorts are randomly picked up to clean toilets. Shirer betrays hisdistress when Berlin Jewish store owners' glass is broken.Where is the other side of the argument? Sounds like the reviewer of "childish" would be pleased to defend the Nazi positions since he is correct that they are entirely absent in this monumental and un-put-downable book.

Superbly Personal and Readable
This diary by U.S. journalist William L. Shirer (1904-1993) provides a superbly personal look at life inside Nazi Germany.Shirer was stationed in Berlin from 1934-1940, watching and reporting as Hitler crushed freedom, rearmed the German military, and eventually launched his devastating war of conquest.Readers feel like they are right there as events unfolded; from the Nuremburg rallies, to the Rhineland, the sellout at Munich, and the first year of World War II.The author sensed danger from Hitler early on, while too many others embraced appeasement or isolationism.Shirer returned home in early 1941, and within months his diary was the year's top selling non-fiction, boosting interventionist sentiment prior to Pearl Harbor.I particularly liked the author's eyewitness accounts and his quiet outrage at Nazi abuses.

BERLIN DIARY is readable, gripping, and inconclusive - it was published while Hitler held most of Europe.The tenor of the times is provided in the last line of Shirer's introduction: "The Gestapo will find no clues."

Excellent
If you are interested in this period in history, you should read this book. Shirer offers a day-by-day history of life in Germany during the rise of Nazism and beginning of the war. That alone would be enough for a great book, but there is much more. Shirer covers many aspects of the war; he writes eloquently and accurately about the naivety of pre-war British diplomacy, strategy on both sides, and the Nazi clique. He provides an early glimpse at horrors of Nazi genocide. And his personal story is fascinating, as he travels across Europe, worries about his family, and matches wits with his censors to get as much of the story out as he can. Berlin Diary is very well written and hard to put down. Gems of description abound; for example, he describes a visit to a Lisbon casino: "Tonight, Ed [Murrow] and I did the casino. The gaming rooms were full of a weird assortment of human beings, German and British spies, male and female, wealthy refuges who had mysteriously managed to get a lot of money out and were throwing it about freely, other refugees who were broke and were trying to win their passage money with a few desperate gambles with the fickle roulette wheel..." Highly recommended.

SHIRER KNEW WHAT WAS COMING!
Although I have read many books on Nazism and the Second World War, very few have included contemporary eyewitness accounts.The authors have known what happened, and often why, and have (sometimes) simply described historical events.Shirer's diary gives us a day by day look at Europe and Nazi Germany during the crucial years of the thirties and after.The reader may be chilled as the book progresses, knowing the horror in store for so many.

And again and again it appears Shirer knows what will happen in advance.He is rarely wrong in his predictions.For instance,he predicts the German attack on Holland in May of '40 and British survival later that year.He finds the German Jews in 1935 to be 'too optimistic' and says that Hitler will turn on Russia before the USA.At times I was inclined to believe Shirer had backdated his diary after the fact.

It would have been nice if the diary could have been continued to the war's end, even if the author no longer had access to sources so close to the action.I suppose this would have made for too long a book, though.

Nazi Germany from the Inside
"Berlin Diary" is a classic in reportage.Shirer was a journalist stationed in Berlin from 1934 to 1940 and thus an eyewitness to the growth of Facism in Europe, especially the Nazi regime in Germany.He observes and reports on the events leading up to World War II and the stunning German victories during the first year of the war.Shirer seems to have been about everywhere that anything happened and his eye-witness accounts are priceless as background to the "gathering storm" in Europe.

This is a diary which Shirer admits in his introduction was written with the thought of publication.Thus, like others I was irritated by the ethnic slurs he directs at Germans and by his obvious political partisanship. For example, he bemoans the defeat of the Republic in Spain with the statement, "our side has lost."I can only interpret that remark to mean that he personally identified with the Spanish Republic.His remark about "our side" certainly would make me suspicious about the objectivity of any of his reporting on Spain.Clearly, however, Shirer saw his diary (published before the US entered World War II) less as a balanced piece of reportage than as an anti-Facist manifesto backed up most impressively by his personal experiences.Read in that context, "Berlin Dairy" can be appreciated as one of the essential books on the origins of World War II.

Politics aside, Shirer paints an interesting picture of the life of young Americans in Europe during the 1930s with capsule descriptions of who he met, what he ate and drank, and his day to day life. Throughout the book is the atmosphere of impending doom.Shirer sensed it early and is thus one of the prophetic voices coming out of the 1930s.

Smallchief
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Amazon.com

From 1946 to 1966, while serving the prison sentence handed down from the Nuremburg War Crimes tribunal, Albert Speer penned 1,200 manuscript pages of personal memoirs. Titled Erinnerungen ("Recollections") upon their 1969 publication in German, Speer's critically acclaimed personal history was translated into English and published one year later as Inside the Third Reich. Long after their initial publication, Speer's memoir continues to provide one of the most detailed and fascinating portrayals of life within Hitler's inner circles, the rise and fall of the third German empire, and of Hitler himself.

Speer chronicles his entire life, but the majority of Inside the Third Reich focuses on the years between 1933 and 1945, when Speer figured prominently in Hitler's government and the German war effort as Inspector General of Buildings for the Renovation of the Federal Capital and later as Minister of Arms and Munitions. Speer's recollections of both duties foreground the impossibility of reconciling Hitler's idealistic, imperialistic ambitions with both architectural and military reality. Throughout, Inside the Third Reich remains true to its author's intentions. With compelling insight, Speer reveals many of the "premises which almost inevitably led to the disasters" of the Third Reich as well as "what comes from one man's holding unrestricted power in his hands." -- Bertina Loeffler ... Read more

Reviews (60)

As good an autobiography as can be expected
As a near autobiography written by a man sitting in a prison cell with a lot of time to think about things, the faults of this book are predictable. If we have any appreciation of human failings, it is unreasonable of us to expect complete honesty and objectivity from a man seeking for himself some understanding re the events he was both caught up in and partly responsible for. Bear this in mind, and many of the failings commonly associated with this book will be of little bother to you. We can no more expect Speer to be 100 per cent honest and accurate about his own life than we can expect ourselves to be honest and accurate about our own.

Naturally, then, when we read an autobiography, we read it for something other than historical objectivity. We want to glimpse events from the author's own eyes, and we hope that perhaps if we read carefully between the lines we will see something of the author that he or she wouldn't have consciously revealed to us. In the case of a man associated with the worst evil in history, we won't tolerate denial or excuses, but we can't expect much more than impersonal details and quiet humility. When I read this book, I was satisfied on these points. He denied little, he never explicitly offered reasons or excuses, and he seldom tried to disassociate himself from events.

So, having addressed these predictable weaknesses, I can now offer the book some praise. It is very well-written and engaging, it is fascinating from a historical perspective, and it is most interesting to read a book on the Nazis written by a man who had been one of the most powerful Nazis of all. If this later point is your reason for reading this book, then you won't be disappointed. How many times in history has someone from so high up in the enemy's hierarchy survived with the writing skills to give us such a thorough look from the inside? From this perspective, we are exceptionally lucky to have this book. Speer may have omitted various points, and he might have been wrong at times, but these failings will be unobtrusive to most people baring the experts, and little can compare with a book that was written by a guy who in many ways was and will forever remain more expert than anyone who was not, like himself, so completely part of it. The book was remarkable for its personal insights on Hitler and much of his entourage. It was also intriguing for Speer's account of his own doings and concerns throughout his story. (In reference to the Allied bombing effort on German cities and munitions' factories, it was something to learn that Speer, as Armaments' Minister, worried more about the problems that raids on humble ball-bearings' factories would cause. Such raids, which never came, may have been decisive given the all-round necessity of these forgotten pearls.) The book is for anyone interested in WWII, and it remains a valued part of my book collection.

Be a fly on the wall in Nazi Germany
This is a brilliant record of history. By reading this cathartic memoir written by Speer you get the chance to immerse yourself into his candid thoughts, selfish motives, but contrite tone, and walk away with a real understanding of the inner circle of the Nazi government. You are transported back in time to the inner sanctum of the political apparatus. Learn the behavior of Hitler and his generals by having tea with them, you have a front row seat through the eyes of Speer, as if you are there during the daily activities. To fully appreciate the tome of detailed information the reader would benefit most if they already have a good knowledge of WWII, but it is not necessary. Granted, all memoirs have the inherent risk of being self-serving, but that applies to all writers, of all countries, of all epochs.

Best Insider History of the Third Reich
Albert Speer's "Inside the Third Reich" ranks, in my opinion, among the three seminal books covering the history of Nazi Germany. (Albert Shirer's "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" and Heinze Hohne's "Order of the Death's Head" round out the group) This book excels where the others fail in its elegance and readability.Set up as a memoir of his life Albert Speer lucidly provides a very insider account of the Third Reich throughout the 1930's and through the war.Speer himself as an architect was extremely close to Hitler and often was in more intimate circles with him than Goering, Himmler, and Hess. The book is a fast read in spite of its large size.It is written for the casual reader though a general knowledge of German history is probably better.Overall however Speer's use of anecdotes and his style at large is indicative of his intellect and upper class upbringing. This book is certainly a must read for those interested in WWII and German history.

The book naturally begins with Speer's upbringing and education in Manheim.The author spends little time here though and within the first 25 pages we read how Speer casually became a party member, as did his mother, and how he first began to interact with the party.Here we have to be a little skeptical of his account of the story.He says quite emphatically that he did not join the party for through any political motivation yet in 1930, when he joined, the NSDAP did not have the extreme power it held a few years later.It seems unlikely that an architect who claimed to have little political motivation would go out of his way to join a workers party.Whatever his motivations were however he joined the party and before long he went from being an officer in the NSKK to taking on a few architectural projects for the party including redoing Joseph Goebbels' office and the decorations for Joseph von Hindenburg's funeral in 1934.By this time he was traveling with Hitler and realizing how captivated with architecture the Fuhrer was.His biggest achievement during these years was the building of the rally grounds at the zeppelin fields outside of Nuremburg. Hitler was extraordinarily pleased with Speer's work and by this time he was within his inner circle and required to wear a party uniform in public.It is around this time that he begins creating his expansive plans for Germania.Naturally the plans never resulted in any buildings but this plan became Hitler's hobby and made enforced Hitler's affinity for Speer.As peace became tenuous and war became inevitable Speer still holds on to the fact that he wasn't aware of the big picture.Yet within a few years he is named minister of armaments and certainly by this time he is aware.He shows and described his brilliance for logistics and his ability to make great judgments on the fly.Here we get even more fascinating accounts which you will have to read.

Overall, the book is the best insider source for the goings on at the very top of party and the high command. His tone is apologetic and honestly I do believe him.Early in the work he says how while in prison he re-read many of Hitler's speeches and found them utterly lifeless. This book is enlightening also in that it shows how disorganized and distracted the party really was both in the early days and throughout the war.Reading it becomes strikingly amazing that the party could even come to power when it was so factionalized.This book is a fascinating read and is very enjoyable.This is one that a historian or layman can enjoy equally. As the 60th anniversary of the end of the war approaches take some time and look back into those strange years.





Ted Murena

A fascinating look behind the curtain
Speer says he has tried to be as honest as he could be in retelling his experience of life in Hitler's inner circle. That alone should ring the alarm bells. One is either honest or one isn't.
On one hand, Speer gives us what is probably as accurate an account of his day to day diary first as an architect, then as Hitler's architect then his armaments minister as it would be possible to provide, given the circumstances in which it was written, and that is as far as one should trust this book.
The reader finds how easy it is to sympathise with the author, even consider Speer a decent chap but that is because the largest aspect of German industry from 1942 until the end of war was based upon slave labour and of the thousands who were worked to death, Speer makes no mention until he decides to "come clean" on the stand at Nuremburg, which he precisely did not.
So, for a whitewashed and largely dispassionate account of what happened from day to day in Hitler's Third Reich, this book is truly a fascinating read, but it most definitely is not a tell all autobiography from the man whose efforts probably prolonged World War 2 by at least 12 months thereby costing the lives of millions of innocent civilians.
There is another biography of Albert Speer of roughly equal size which tears away the shroud of decency with which Speer attempts to cover himself in this book. One shouldn't read one without reading the other.

TRUE THOUGH PERHAPS NOT 100% HONEST 1st HAND ACCOUNT
This is a 5-star biography because it does present real firsthand personal accounts from someone within Hitler's inner circle. To be sure, this person was quite bright, has an excellent memory and wrote many notes for this book on toilet paper during his 20 years at Spandau Prison. However, the same apathy or apparent indifference which led Speer to eagerly join Hitler and his cronies and do many things that a seemingly- decent well-bred man [as Speer was] would never do raises some concern about Speer's judgment. If we assume that the prosecution's case [at Nuremberg 1945-46] which insisted that Speer was a "clever liar" was untrue, then we must assume that he at least was a profoundly naive, foolish egghead. Most likely he fits somewhere in between. The point I am trying to make is that he may not be quite as innocent as he claims, although he has given us every reason to believe that HE himself believes what he says.

During the trial in Nuremberg, he did tap his chest and utter "my fault, my most grievous fault" in Latin often and you can see this on videos of the trial. He has stated during many interviews in both English and German that he feels "not going to Hitler" about many of the atrocities as he learned of them, most notably the death camps, was the "greatest wrong of my [his] life". Does this imply that Hitler would have put a stop to the genocide? Does Speer actually believe that if he simply said, "Adolf buddy, I think you ought to know that the chicken farmer, Himmler, is doing some nasty stuff to those nice Jewish people in those camps that we thought were Jewish resorts?" that Hitler would have put an end to them? When I read and hear that kind of stuff from Speer directly, I scratch my head and wonder to whom he is lying -- US or HIMSELF? In the end, will we ever know the truth, the real truth, as to who knew what and when.

Having said all this, I must say that this is a great read and that Speer does comport himself well [perhaps too well]. Being at the most decisive spot in history as an inner circle player makes his writing of historic importance in its own right [or Reich in this case]. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a personal account of Germany during WWII from the inside out.
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Book Description

Target Hitler not only documents the plots of many individuals and groups who actively opposed the Nazis, it acknowledges the perseverance of Nazi insiders against Hitler, including General Ludwig Beck and Lieutenant-Colonel Hans Oster, whose ceaseless activity in the German resistance may be unknown to many readers. This eminently readable narrative concentrates on the efforts of a group of conspirators within the German army who first began to plot against Hitler in the fall of 1938, and whose story culminates in the famous July 1944 bombing. Target Hitler is a work of historical significance. For as Duffy and Ricci remind us, it is important to know and remember that even in the most tyrranical states, with all the odds against them, there are men and women who are willing to risk all in order to oppose evil. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

really interesting and important
Most books about the Third Reich mention the von Stauffenberg plot (sometimes called the General's Plot) against Hitler, and a few allude to "other" plots, but Target Hitler attempts to provide a history of not only the General's Plot, but the other serious (and sometimes tragically comic) plots against Hitler. Contrary to some other writings on the subject, Duffy & Ricci assert that Rommel was not a conspirator in the Stauffenberg scheme, but simply one of the many officers who chose to remain silent about the plot, waiting for the risks to be taken by others.

There were plots discussed here that were completely new to me, such as the bomb that appears to have been planted with Himmler's active assistance -- though it is unclear whether this was an internal power struggle of Himmler to replace Hitler, or an attempt to produce a plot for propaganda purposes, for which it was well used.

There are tragicomic efforts here, such as Maurice Bavaud's. Bavaud was an anti-Communist Swiss seminary student who sought to assassinate Hitler for cozying up to the Communists -- and thought he was going to succeed using a .25 pocket pistol, which even Bavaud knew was only accurate enough with this gun to kill Hitler if he could get with 25 feet of his target! Unfortunately, Hitler walked down the wrong side of the street in Munich in commemoration of the Beer Hall Putsch.

Duffy & Ricci also demonstrate that, contrary to the view taken by some other historians, the General's Plot was not simply the result of the German officer corps attempting to save their own necks once the war was lost, but the last in a long series of efforts made before the war to remove Hitler from power, out of opposition to the immorality of National Socialist Party rule. Much of the opposition was founded on the belief that Hitler's actions in provoking wars, passing of the Nuremburg laws, and other such actions against the Jews, were contrary to Christianity. Especially among the military and diplomatic opposition, this Christian basis to opposition to Hitler created a serious problem, because of a profound reluctance to commit murder, even of someone such as Hitler. Eventually, as the nature of the brutality of the Nazi policies became impossible to miss, the major plotters, such as von Stauffenberg, overcame their reluctance. The plot to depose Hitler became a plot to assassinate.

After the war, many officers sought to find protection in the argument, "I was only following orders." Duffy & Ricci provide an example of the traditional German military view with a quote from General Beck's memorandum of July 16, 1938:

"Vital decisions for the future of the nation are at stake. History will indict these commanders [who blindly follow Hitler's orders] of blood guilt if, in the light of their professional and political knowledge, they do not obey the dictates of their conscience. A soldier's duty to obey ends when his knowledge, his conscience, and his sense of responsibility forbid him to carry out a certain order."

There were many officers in the German military who, because they had sworn a personal oath of loyalty to Hitler in the early days of the National Socialist government of Germany, were reluctant to directly participate in the plot against Hitler -- but were ready to help as soon as Hitler was dead.

There were other factions as well, including labor leaders not already incarcerated, and various Social Democrats. While they and the aristocratic conservative elements that made up the plot were not able to completely agree on what the new Germany should be, they were able to reach agreement that Hitler had to be removed, one way or another.

The courage of many of the conspirators is astonishing. Duffy & Ricci recount a number of instances where high officers put plastic explosive charges in their pockets, started the fuses, then attempted to get close enough to Hitler to grab hold. Other generals attempted to enter Hitler's presence while armed, in the hopes of getting at least one lethal wound inflicted on Hitler before being killed themselves.

Hitler's luck is also astonishing. Plot after plot were foiled by Hitler's habit of changing plans and schedules at the last moment. The General's Plot, however, failed because many elements in the plot failed to take action immediately after the bomb went off -- and in failing to take action, provided enough time for Hitler loyalists to mobilize.

One annoying error is that throughout the book the military intelligence organization, which was a center of the conspiracy against Hitler, even going so far as to give military intelligence ID cards to Berlin Jews, to enable them to leave the country safely posing as military intelligence officers, is consistently misspelled as "Abwer" instead of "Abwehr." Since the authors have relied heavily on memoirs of survivors of the plots, this error is all the more mystifying.

The book concludes with a description of what finally happened to the major participants in the General's Plot. The courage of these people, confronting the Nazi People's Court, destroyed whatever propaganda value these trials might have had. As Field Marshal Erwin von Witzleben told Judge Freisler, "You can hand us over to the executioner, but in three months' time this outraged and suffering people will call you to account and drag you alive through the mud of the streets." ... Read more

Book Description

A foreword by Frank R. Zindler describes the relations of the never-excommunicated Catholic Adolf Hitler with two popes and his comment that "Luther, if he could be with us, would give us his blessing." A reprint of a book written during the last months of the war in Europe, the book discusses Luther the man, his unstable character, his often treacherous actions, his views and teachings on marriage, truth, the state, war, the Jews, the peasants, and Germany. The growth of the unrealistic, positive legend of Luther is examined, with a concluding essay "From Luther to Hitler." ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Historiographical Accuracy
Any person who has read Wiener's book and taken it at face value needs to read the book written in response to it in its historical context. Gordon Rupp's book, "Martin Luther, Hitler's Cause of Cure: In Reply to Peter F. Wiener," 1945, dismantles Wiener's thesis by: showing his use of quotes out of textual and historical context; his use of English translations of Luther taken third-hand from German-to French-then to English; dependence on secondary sources, and his failure to follow the development of Luther's thought. Luther has been blamed for many of the world's ills, isn't it time the blame be placed on the right sources and writers work for resolution of the problems instead of using Luther as a "whipping boy."

Unlike Wiener and Hitler, Luther did some good in his life
!!!!
Mr. Wiener is playing on people's ignorance of Martin Luther to sell books.

Just looking at the photo on the page is enough to convince any thinking individual that the author has an obvious ax to grind and is willing to try and color the publics rational thought process by any means, especially guilt by association, to effect a negative opinion of Martin Luther, the great Protestant reformer whom we owe so much to this day.

Martin Luther was one of the most courageous spirits in human history who at the same time never lost his humanity. When all the world was sucked up into Catholicism's inconsistencies and power, Martin Luther stood alone and said God was not owned by the Catholic Church, thus allowing a freedom that had been denied to Christians for hundreds of years before and enjoyed hundreds of years afterwards, to this day. Perhaps the freedom we now enjoy is enjoyed too recklessly and in vain as evidenced by such books as Wiener's.

It is absolutely asinine to try to link Martin Luther to the holocaust and Hitler.

Martin Luther in truth was the spiritual ancestor of nearly e-v-e-r-y-one today. Hitler distorted so many truths and perverted every good thing he could, falsified so much and smeared so many, I don't see how you can blame the victims of such mischaracterizations or use them as a scapegoat.

Even the Bible has been used for evil. I don't see how any one can blame Martin Luther if Hitler found something in Martin Luther's writings to pervert. But that is the book game these days---try and smear someone's good name in order to sell books.

After a while those who are truly interested in the truth will understand what a grave injustice Weiner has tried to do to a person who has done so much for humanity, even still today, while others like Wiener are only interested in destroying for destructions sake which leads you to ask the question, "Is Hitler Wiener's ancestor?"

Controversy comes in small packages
"Hitler's spiritual ancestor" is a short book that tackles some very large questions. The author Peter Wiener wrote the book towards the end of World War II and was a Christian of German origin. The huge questions that he tackles include: "How could the German people allow Hitler to lead them into a war that was so brutal, destructive and remorseless?", "Who was Martin Luther...really?" and "What part did Martin Luther's teachings play in the horrific genocide of the second world war?". Although the author doesn't answer all these questions completely (then again who could?), he brings up some excellent points and allows the reader to "see for themselves".

This work does not portray Luther as the "Great Reformer" that many theologians remember him as. The author does an excellent job of portraying Luther with 'warts and all' and he does this by using Luther's own writings against him. He argues that Luther set the scene for the bloodiest genocide in human history. His teachings, and his philosophy were instrumental in paving the way for a German nation filled with people that had a warped idea of Christianity and humanity. In fact the author portrays it as a "pseudo-political German religion" that puts the nation first and Jesus second. After hundreds of years of being indoctrinated by Luther and his unbelievable theology, it is no wonder that the people of Germany were so easily able to accept Hitler and his maniacal, nationalistic ideas of ethnic cleansing. ... Read more

Book Description

Traudl Junge (then Humps) was 22 years old and dreamt of a career as a ballerina, until the 'opportunity of her life' beckoned. Adolf Hitler appointed this young secretary to his private office and from 1942 until his death she was at his side in the bunker, typing his correspondence, his speeches and even his last private and political will and testament.'I was 22 and I didn't know anything about politics, it didn't interest me,' she claims. It was apparently only after the war that this young woman began to realise what had happened and the horrible reality began to dawn on her. She was wracked with guilt for 'liking the greatest criminal ever to have lived.' She'd found him a 'pleasant older man and a good employer'. Her journal, written in 1947, recounts her mostly mundane time typing, making tea, until the coldness of the bunker, the building sense of despair and doom as the war progressed.The journal is topped and tailed with a preface and an afterword, co-written by Melissa Muller, giving the background to the story, the rest of Traudl's unhappy life and her feelings of guilt over her naive actions. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent!
I have to say that I really enjoyed this book.It was nice to get the collapse of the Third Reich from the perspective of a woman who was there...trapped in the bunker below the Reichs Chancellery as Berlin was being surrounded by Russian troops.Mrs. Junge's memoirs paint the distinct picture of a dying empire....and her memoirs go hand in hand with Joachim Fest's outstanding volume INSIDE HITLER'S BUNKER.

One thing that I noticed as I was reading through the book was the complete spell that Hitler held over Junge, even though she was never a part of the National Socialist party or claimed to be a Nazi sympathizer in any way.The sheer magnetism of Hitler's personality and charm sucked her in....and until he died...she was hooked.Another point that Mrs. Junge brought up was how she was pretty much sheltered within Hitler's inner circle.Until the fall of the Reich, she had no real idea of the atrocities that were being committed by the National Socialists.It brings to light the enormity of the German government and the full scope of the empire....and how one department could be doing something so horrible...and possibly another department not even knowing about it.By the end of the war, the National Socialist government had grown into a huge bureaucracy where one could actually do as they pleased, possibly without the big-wigs in power knowing it, if they were extremely careful about it.Not to say that the Holocaust never happened, it most certainly did!, but it is interesting just to observe how Mrs. Junge was probably just one of many who had no idea of what evils were done in the name of their government and their country.This book just further exposes the sad history of a great people who are seduced by an evil genius and the guilt they will have to live with for a long time to come for their being so manipulated.

This book is a really excellent read.It reads quickly and the translation from the German is hardly noticeable.Ms. Muller's introduction and epilogue really help to put Mrs. Junge's memoirs in perspective.Also, it is interesting to see how Traudl Junge came into Hitler's service and what happened to her after it was over.So, go out and read this...it is great! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Many theorists in psychology have attempted to understand Adolf Hitler, but no analyst has put the Führer on the couch with more throrough results than Fritz Redlich. In Hitler: Diagnosis of a Destructive Prophet, the Yale psychiatrist considers whether physical illness and mental disorder affected the dictator's state of mind. In this matter, Redlich allows no simplistic labels or easy explanations. Keenly aware of the limits that historical sources impose on medical and psychological approaches, he overturns many diagnostic assessments of Hitler, arguing that "precise and subtle description is superior" to often inaccurate generalizations about personality.

While there have been hundreds of biographies of Hitler, Redlich's stands out for its extensive use of the Führer's medical records, and an exhaustive survey of the relationship between Hitler and his personal physician, the controversial Theodor Morrel. Redlich also approaches more enduring issues, such as the Führer's sex life, vegetarianism, rumored genital deformity, possible syphilis, Parkinson's disease, and amphetamine addiction with fresh insight. Out of Redlich's absorbing account emerges a mercurial, paranoid fanatic who went to any lengths to maintain his popularity. --James Highfill ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Fritz Redlich: Diagnostician of Tyranny
The first study of Hitler to be undertaken by a trained psychiatrist and medical expert, Redlich's book amasses a huge fund of data in an attempt to see how far Hitler's medical history, his illnesses, influenced his behaviour and personality. The first part is a thorough account of the events, personal and political, that shaped Hitler's life, from his childhood, his poverty in Vienna, his miltary service, his political activity up to the seizure of power, up to and including the Second World War. The second part attempts to apply psychiatric and psychoanalytic methods to the same events, by examining them in the light of Hitler's various illnesses and traumas. Redlich discusses Hitler's vegetarianism, his rage attacks, his abstinence from alcohol and nicotine, his alleged genital abnormality, his sex life, Parkinson's disease, psychotic and retarded members of his family tree and -- most controversially -- his supposed addiction to amphetamines and how this affected s!ome of his tactical and strategic mistakes towards the end of the war, e.g. the invasion of Russia and the declaration of war against the United States. Aware of the difficulties that confront anyone who undertakes such an ambitious project as a "pathography" of someone who has been dead for over half a century, Redlich avoids easy conclusions. He admits the limitations of the psychoanalytic method (i.e. evaluation, with the object of unlocking the analysand's personality, of parapraxias, [slips of the tongue], impulsive actions, the imagery in his speeches, etc.) His also stresses the limitations imposed on the research by the psychiatric method and empasises, above all, that no such analysis can be impartial, as the data presented by the researcher would inevitably be selective. Redlich nevertheless succeeds in shattering some myths that have surrounded the personality of Hitler. He does not shrink from passing judgement on his subject, describing him as a paranoid, dangerou!s, insecure and ambivalent prophet, the most destructive individual in the history of mankind.

Sincere and sober assessment, but where does it take us?
Dr. Redlich is to be praised for his thorough analysis of the known facts about Hitler's life (frankly, precious little, particuarly about his childhood) and his medical conditions (probably more than most readers will want to know). Dr. Redlich has produced a well-balanced clinical portrayal of Hitler, based on what is known. He is scrupulous in the use of his sources, and always notes when evidence does not support his or others' theories. All of this commendable, and I salute Dr. Redlich for writing what should be the final word on Hitler's medical problems.

The problem I have with the book is that it is not very good history. Of course, Dr. Redlich admits that he is not a historian and is writing a pathography, not a history. However, if that is the case, he should probably dispose of most of the first section of his two section book. In his first section, he compresses events, makes general statements, and provides what can only be called a very superficial portrayal of Hitler's life. One example would be his comments on creation of the Fuhrer myth, which do a disservice to our understanding by oversimplifying how the myth was developed. Another would be his comments on Hitler's activities in Vienna and Munich. I also found it a little irritating that he referred to the ridiculous Gustrow goat story, which he mentions at least a half dozen times, although casting doubts about it authenticity (and not even including the punchline of the story). The same applies to what Bullock describes as the one-ball business which is probably more Soviet fiction than fact. It seems clear to me that Dr. Redlich has tried his best to be fair in evaluating evidence, but it also seems that some stories are just too good to pass up.

Dr. Redlich's conclusions about Hitler motivations and his psychological state, as detailed in his pathography, are probably as objective as we will get for quite some time. This is a good book, and it deserves praise for its groundbreaking work in the area of Hitler's various maladies and their possible impact on his actions. However, for an understanding of Hitler and his impact on the 20th century, Ian Kershaw and Alan Bullock remain the primary places to begin.

Gripping account of the world's most notorious patient!
Intense, highly engrossing psychological study of Adoplh Hitler. Incredibly detailed and thorough, yet always immensely readable. The author has written with such objectivity so as not to leave any doubt of the twisted reasoning that drove the "destructive prophet." A must-read for 20th Century studies. A real eye opener.

Hitler on the couch, yet again
There is nothing revelatory in this book and the errors are predictable and redundant. Putting Hitler on the couch is nothing new, Walter Langer and the OSS produced the first psychological profile of Hitler in 1943. It is still in print and available on Amazon and is much superior to this effort.

The main problem is that Hitler is dead and putting him through psychoanalysis is problematic, to say the least. I have an innate distrust of non-Germans (or non-German speakers) writing biographies of Hitler, so Redlich has a leg up in this department. The vast majority of Hitlerian documents have never been translated and a non-German speaker tackles the project with a severe disadvantage. But does Redlich use his innate advantage? No, he relies on discredited information, outdated sources and throws in some psychological treatises of his own, which lack credibility.

Hitler was an extraordinarily complex, complicated personality and the vast majority of historians have missed the mark in interpreting him or understanding him. Redlich utterly misses the mark in explaining Hitler's relationships with women. He was hardly a sexual pervert and maintained a monogamous, though neurotic, relationship with Eva Braun for the last thirteen years of his life.

If you want a steady, readable and reliable biography of Hitler, I urge you to consult John Toland's masterful 1976 book. Nothing has surpassed it in the 25 years since its publication.

more than you wanted to know
An excellent analysis of what can be known about Hitler's mental and physical health. Along with books by Rosenbaum and Kershaw it provides probably all that we will ever know. The really difficult question is not why Hitler had such peculiar views and the will to put them into effect, the real question is why the most developed country in Europe, perhaps in the world, allowed this pathetic excuse for a human being to gain total control by more or less democratic means. Ian Kershaw so far provides the best insight into what was wrong with the Germans and what in Hitler appealed to them. It turns out that the Germans were to be sure odd -- they were "German" -- but not much odder than other peoples. One can say one doesn't think one's own people could support a Hitler but one cannot be sure. The attraction of evil remains the supreme puzzle. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

off-track but interesting
The Psychoanalysis of Hitler

In Hitler among the Germans Rudolph Binion attempts to use psychoanalytical theory to explain Hitler's personality and his political motives.Hitler's initial rise and control over Germany are seen as results of the way that he reacts to important events in his life.Controversial historical events are tenuously linked to psychological theory to develop Binion's shaky thesis.

Binion created a Hitler personality based strictly on Hitler's reaction to what Binion deems the most important events in Hitler's life and Binion's own psychological explanation of these events on Hitler's life.

Binion emphasizes Hitler's relationship with his mother.Hitler's mother had three children die before giving birth to Adolph.Binion presumes that his mother was overly nurturing and breast-fed Adolph excessively.This is one of the major premises of the book; that Hitler had an incestual relationship with his mother.This presents one of the plethora of problems with this psychoanalytical explanation of Hitler-over 90% of the region where Hitler was raised was not breast-fed and there is no evidence to suggest that Adolph was breast-fed.However, Binion takes it as fact and builds this in as a central tenet of his argument.His mother contracted breast cancer when Adolph was eighteen, which traumatized him.Her doctor was a Jew, and Hitler had asked him to use a burning chemical to attempt to alleviate the pain.In 1918 Hitler was stunned with mustard gas, but also devastated by the military loss of his adopted country, Germany.Binion argues that Hitler thought he was blinded but somehow recovered to see the light of day after the mustard gas incident.In addition, the mustard gas was a reminder of the stinging pain his mother suffered at the hands of a Jew.The destruction of the Jews and Germany's military loss are the defining objectives in Hitler's political agenda.

This experience enlightens the reader to the two main motives Hitler had in his political rise to power.Hitler sought to expand Germany and also eradicate the Jews.These two motives played off each other and Hitler would lecture on whichever struck him as more imperative at the time.This is the essence of Binion's argument.

This argument falls short on any number of accounts.It seems like he is going to take the argument in an Oedipus Complex direction, but this psychoanalytic term does not see the ink of the pages until the concluding chapter and is only mentioned as an explanation to understand Hitler's relationship with his father.His father is also only mentioned in the concluding chapter and none of Hitler's fantasies are ever evaluated for psychological merit.The other major fault of the book is the format.It is heavy in Hitler's quotes, but light on Freud and psychoanalytic theory.Binion has a proclivity for pulling quotes from all dates and speeches regardless of their context to attempt to support his points.In the course of one page Binion may pull quotes from three different decades in no chronological order and often times to make a pedantic point.

The problem with this choice of pedagogy is Binion's consistency which carries over to his bibliography, his over-simplifications, and his lack of examining fantasies.The bibliography contains an insufficient amount of psychoanalytical or psycho historical articles, which is also recognized in the endnotes.In order to use a Freudian basis to explain Hitler's personality and his struggle to lead the German people, exterminate the Jews, and conquer the world it would require much further research into Freudian and other psychoanalytical theory, which Binion fails to do.The second critique: there being an over-simplification of the defining moments in Hitler's early life is that these events are only given a single psychological explanation, other interpretations of how these events could have impacted him are not only disregarded but ignored.They are not mentioned and disproved, but remain obscured from the reader by the text, and anyone contemplating other psychoanalytical manifestations of significant historical events in Hitler's life is left pondering still.The last major criticism is the shortsightedness of the psychoanalytic theory used to explain the grown Hitler's personality and responses.The role of internal fantasies and internal conflicts are completely ignored in this manuscript.

The linkages from Hitler's speeches to the psychoanalytical theory were tenuous and need more grounding in actual theory.The evidence surrounding most of the major events in Hitler's life is also not established.The book depends too much on mere speculation and fails to convey to the reader its importance.In the preface to the book Binion points out, "no amount or kind of evidence can turn a psycho-historical insight into an inference (xi)."This does not mean that any event can be subjectively interpreted, fomented, or even created to suit Binion's needs, but he takes the liberty to do this anyway.

not analytical enough--tenously linkes
The Psychoanalysis of Hitler

In Hitler among the Germans Rudolph Binion attempts to use psychoanalytical theory to explain Hitler's personality and his political motives.Hitler's initial rise and control over Germany are seen as results of the way that he reacts to important events in his life.Controversial historical events are tenuously linked to psychological theory to develop Binion's shaky thesis.

Binion created a Hitler personality based strictly on Hitler's reaction to what Binion deems the most important events in Hitler's life and Binion's own psychological explanation of these events on Hitler's life.

Binion emphasizes Hitler's relationship with his mother.Hitler's mother had three children die before giving birth to Adolph.Binion presumes that his mother was overly nurturing and breast-fed Adolph excessively.This is one of the major premises of the book; that Hitler had an incestual relationship with his mother.This presents one of the plethora of problems with this psychoanalytical explanation of Hitler-over 90% of the region where Hitler was raised was not breast-fed and there is no evidence to suggest that Adolph was breast-fed.However, Binion takes it as fact and builds this in as a central tenet of his argument.His mother contracted breast cancer when Adolph was eighteen, which traumatized him.Her doctor was a Jew, and Hitler had asked him to use a burning chemical to attempt to alleviate the pain.In 1918 Hitler was stunned with mustard gas, but also devastated by the military loss of his adopted country, Germany.Binion argues that Hitler thought he was blinded but somehow recovered to see the light of day after the mustard gas incident.In addition, the mustard gas was a reminder of the stinging pain his mother suffered at the hands of a Jew.The destruction of the Jews and Germanys' military loss are the defining objectives in Hitler's political agenda.

This experience enlightens the reader to the two main motives Hitler had in his political rise to power.Hitler sought to expand Germany and also eradicate the Jews.These two motives played off each other and Hitler would lecture on whichever struck him as more imperative at the time.This is the essence of Binion's argument.

This argument falls short on any number of accounts.It seems like he is going to take the argument in an Oedipus Complex direction, but this psychoanalytic term does not see the ink of the pages until the concluding chapter and is only mentioned as an explanation to understand Hitler's relationship with his father.His father is also only mentioned in the concluding chapter and none of Hitler's fantasies are ever evaluated for psychological merit.The other major fault of the book is the format.It is heavy in Hitler's quotes, but light on Freud and psychoanalytic theory.Binion has a proclivity of pulling quotes from all dates and speeches regardless of their context to attempt to support his points.In the course of one page Binion may pull quotes from three different decades in no chronological order and often times to make a pedantic point.

The problem with this choice of pedagogy is Binion's consistency which carries over to his bibliography, his over-simplifications, and his lack of examining fantasies.The bibliography contains an insufficient amount of psychoanalytical or psycho historical articles, which is also recognized in the endnotes.In order to use a Freudian basis to explain Hitler's personality and his struggle to lead the German people, exterminate the Jews, and conquer the world is would require much further research into Freudian and other psychoanalytical theory, which Binion fails to do.The second critique: there being an over-simplification of the defining moments in Hitler's early life is that these events are only given a single psychological explanation, other interpretations of how these events could have impacted him are not only disregarded but ignored.They are not mentioned and disproved, but remain obscured from the reader by the text, and anyone contemplating other psychoanalytical manifestations of significant historical events in Hitler's life is left pondering still.The last major criticism is the shortsightedness of the psychoanalytic theory used to explain the grown Hitler's personality and responses.The role of internal fantasies and internal conflicts are completely ignored in this manuscript.

The linkages from Hitler's speeches to the psychoanalytical theory were tenuous and need more grounding in actual theory.The evidence surrounding most of the major events in Hitler's life is also not established.The book depends too much on mere speculation and fails to convey to the reader its importance.In the preface to the book Binion points out, "no amount or kind of evidence can turn a psycho-historical insight into an inference (xi)."This does not mean that any event can be subjectively interpreted, fomented, or even created to suit Binion's needs, but he takes the liberty to do this anyway. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Egotism at its fullest.
A magnificent study of egotism at its fullest. It is easy to understand why Holmes reached the status that he did, because he spent his life in an effort to maintain the social status that he thought was his. He may have been an intellectual, but it seems he directed his efforts at establishing and maintaining a position that he thought was rightfully that of the upper class of which he considered himself supreme. A good read about a man who obtained a position in history that he did not deserve.

An Historical Profile in the Form of a Biography
Ms. Baker has succeeded in developing not only a view of Justice Holmes, a free thinker and a freer spirit, but also a profile of the era or, perhaps, of several eras. Justice Holmes' life crossed a number of turning points in American jurisprudence. On the academic side, Holmes took part in sea changes in the approach taken to legal teaching and legal scholarship. On the historical side, Justice Holmes witnessed and took part in events that had a marked impact on the rule and role of law in the United States -- the Civil War, Emancipation, Reconstruction, Industrialization and aggressive business practices at the turn of the last Century, World War I and the Red Scare, the Roaring Twenties and the onset of the Great Depression.

The work provides insight into the workings of the 19th century court system, the decline in influence of the Boston aristocracy and the rise of a social conscience among the judiciary. On the whole, this is an enjoyable read for history buffs, social analysts, lawyers and those who tolerate them. ... Read more

Book Description

Generations of law students have been raised on his inspiring dissents. His book, THE COMMON LAW, still in print after 100 years, dominates the history of legal thought in America. He is still one of the best known justices of the Supreme Court...yet until now there has been no biography of Oliver Wendall Holmes.

Born into mid-19th century Boston society, Holmes grew up knowing everyone. As a young man, he fought in the Civil War and was seriously wounded. He recovered and returned from the war to practice law and teach at Harvard Law School before his appointment to the bench.

Holmes was always contrary. In the hysteria surrounding WW I, he stood firm for free speech. Later, bucking the tide of public opinion, he refused to uphold the voting of Southern blacks. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Outstanding
This is an excellent book for any pre-law student who is interested in learning more about Justice Holmes. I read the first review that was written by another reader, and was shocked. Sheldon M. Novick did an excellent job researching the material and writing it in such a manner that any reader can understand. Before reading this book, I did not know anything about Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. However, sense completing it, I feel that I know every aspect of his life. The book begins with his childhood in Boston, Massachusetts. It takes you into the 19th century in time when cobblestones were the roads many of the carriages and early motor vehicles drove on. It describes in detail critical information about Justice Holmes and how his character was shaped by his parents, and mentors that included former presidents. I was especially impressed with the role he played as a son, a brother, and a devoted and caring husband. The book describes his role as a judge in the Supreme Judicial Court in Boston, and moves on onto his appointment by President Theodore Roosevelt to the Supreme Court. It helped me understand many of the case's I had to brief last semester. This is my first review, so I will end here.

Disappointing
I can understand why this book is out of print. Novick could not decide whether he was writing for the mass market or other law professionals. He evidently gathered abundant research materials, arranged them chronologically, and tried to organize them into coherent chapters. Novick's discomfort in dealing with Holmes' private life results in a rather stilted account of the pivotal events in his life. Novick did not even attempt to connect these events to his works before and after he sat on the Massachusetts bench. Furthermore, no insight whatsoever enlightens our understanding of Holmes' thoughts at the time he rendered his most important judicial decisions. Don't bother trying to find this book now that it has been buried.

A must read for those interested in justice and history.
I read it as a books-on-tape title. I enjoyed listening to it, it was quite fascinating learning about the life of a man who fought in the Civil War and went on to become a Justice of the Supreme Court of the USA; his significant influence into our country's judicial thinking has been a source of inspiration for me to further understand it and its origins ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Dry but essential
This is the definitive English-language version of Hitler's early years. It's not as well-written or as interesting as Franz Jetzinger's German-language book on AH's early manhood, but this is good. The book was published in 1966 and is, unfortunately, dated. There has been significant additional material unearthed since the 60's. Another problem is that there are no photos in the book. It would have helped the overall impression had they included photos of Braunau, Leonding and especially, Linz, the Fuehrer's favorite city and regarded as his "hometown."

Smith doesn't write especially well, but his research is dilligent and reliable. Don't expect any fireworks in the style department, but you can be assured of a solid, quality reading experience. ... Read more