Rating: 
Summary: A tour de force
Review: A brilliant analysis of history and one man's role in it. Excellently researched material fused together in a relaxed but meticulous literary style so unique to those few really good journalist in the world. Me. Sereny has the talent for retaining her moral stance whilst letting the material tell the story largely by itself. Never does she patronise the reader with self appointed sweeping moral judgements. Delightful in its scope and truly remarkable in its attempt to understand the moral and psychological workings of a very complex and special individual like Albert Speer. Although the work deals with Herr Speer it is in the final analysis not about him. Rather it raises the age old questions of the nature of guilt and innocence, good and bad, truth and lie and love and hate to a new height of intensity and quality of debate by using Herr Speer as a medium to explore in fascinating ways the full complexity and ambiguity of these concepts in 21st century society. Her handling of the issue of guilt and accountability is masterful. Her descriptions of the relationship between Hitler and Speer had a profound affect on my concepts of love and is an invaluable document for those trying to understand not only the motives of the Nazi organization but also of Der Fuhrer himself. Anyone interested in the workings of the Third Reich and/or morality and love in general must read this book!
Rating:
Summary: Beyond Albert Speer
Review: A brilliant in-depth account/analysis of the life of Speer, critical but not judgemental. The most balanced account one could expect on such a controversial character. Gitta Sereny goes beyond the lies and half truths of Speer's life, beyond the moralising and simplistic approach to this period one is used to. Impressive.
Rating: 
Summary: Can truth be re-invented?
Review: A very scholarly work from Gitta Sereny, detailing a man of considerable charm,intelligence and resourcefulness. Gitta Sereny goes some way to explain this complex individual, his relationships with his parents, his wife and children, as well as his place among the elite of the third reich. A man who 'conned' the war crimes commission at Nuremberg, and continued to do so to the rest of the world after the war. Why did his deputy hang and not he? A complex answer despite the evidence. A great read, an insight into the shadows of a totalitarian regime and the place of one man within it.
Rating: 
Summary: Good but flawed
Review: After plouging through this book I came to appreciate her writing style but this book has many historical mistakes. The conclusions she draws are based on very thin ice indeed, few of them based on fact. But the biggest disappointment to me was with all the time she spent interviewing Speer she hardly touched on the work he actually did. This is a real pity and a missed opportunity as he is now dead. Speer was famous for turning around the German wartime economy/production, his actions probably lengthened the war between one or two years. Sereny hardly touched on how he did this, about one or two pages out of 700 odd.Instead we get 600 pages of her whining about the jews and did he know or didn't he, well of course he did, so what?
Rating:
Summary: Speer represented the good and the bad of the German Soul.
Review: Albert Speer was a man of talent and strength. He was also ambitious for power, and seduced by evil. What Sereny makes clear is that Speer's inteligence kept him from plunging onto the suicidal path other Germans took. By striving to save German industry he showed faith in a German future that could exist. Whereas many Germans fought to the last, Speer took the hard way out in helping to build a future for Germany. The book itself provides many fascinating facts about the lives of Germans before and after the War. Especially amusing are the antics of Rudolph Hess and the other War criminals held in Spandau. Speer' eventuall release and subsequent writing career show how a man can pick up the pieces of his life after being out of society for over twenty years. This book is an important as a history, a biography, and as a look into the darkness of a man's soul
Rating:
Summary: A thoughtful intro for anyone wanting answers as to why?
Review: As a German born in 1944 and leaving Germany at the tender age of 13, I was always ashamed of being German. Gitta Sereny's book allowed me to reflect and think about the times, the people, the mood, the conflicts in a way that was not too overwhelming and hurtful. Her writing style is beautiful and the truth contained in this excellent biography made me want to read more about this shameful period in Germany's history. No longer hesitant to learn what happened, thanks to Gitta's book, I am also much more attuned at what is happening in other parts of the world where genocide takes place in small isolated instances but where we can make a difference in stopping it by letting those in power know "never again". I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know how people, like Speer, can ultimately become connected to an evil plot against humanity.
Rating:
Summary: A Confused subordianate
Review: As someone who has been interested in the events surrounding the Third Reich, and who was also born into a disjointed political system, it was fascinating to read about the manner in which a despot went about to mobilise an entire nation in order to achieve his goals.What Gitta Sereny's book clearly illustrates, is that Hitler's magnetism was not only limited to the general man in the street, but that Germany's obsession with Hitler engulfed German intellegentsia as well. Albert Speer was one of those. Sereny puts forth an extremely detailed account of the extraordinary relationship between Speer and Hitler, the reasons for their mutual admiration of each other, and also attempts to explain why a man of his esteem and intelligence was able to ignore the inevetable consequences of the Fuhrer's rule. She attempts to probe Speer on the reasons and nature of their relationship, which she cites as one that "...bordered on love." Speer's description of Hitler's last days and the chaotic time immediateley after the war must be one of the most compelling pieces of WWII literature ever written. What makes Sereny's book outstanding, is that it is the recollections of one of the most important men in Germany during that period, and Sereny questions Speer on many subjects, including the holocaust. She offers arguments, and he replies, but at he end, the reader is left to make his own judgement. I would recommend this excellent piece of work to anyone wanting to understand the reasons why a whole nation was prepared to follow Hitler to the grave--and this through the eyes of someone Hitler described as indespensable, Albert Speer. Sereny succeeds brilliantly to weave Speer's personal story with that of the Reich, and her style makes the book a delight to read.
Rating:
Summary: A pretty thick bush to beat around!
Review: During the summer of 1995, while vacationing on Nantucket Island, I first saw ALBERT SPEER: HIS BATTLE WITH TRUTH displayed in a shop window. I mentioned to my wife that I must read this sometime, for it appeared, upon cursory examination, an excellent insight into the mind of Albert Speer. That Christmas, it appeared under my tree. I devoured the book within the week and came away not fully satisfied. Gitta Sereny is at her best when relating her personal conversations with former Reichsminister Speer and the conclusions drawn from those conversations. However, I felt, by the end of the book, that I had not only read her book, but re-read INSIDE THE THIRD REICH (Mr. Speer's book) again! Ms. Sereny proved to me what I have suspected for years, after reading many first hand accounts of Herr Speer's demeanor shortly after his capture in 1945 and up to the Nuremberg Trial: he said what needed to be said to save himself. His heart did not let him accept culpability in the horrible deeds of the Third Reich, his analytical mind did! She presents convincing evidence that Alber Speer fooled himself for years concerning his culpability, yet also knowingly fooling the general public. I find this attitude not unique. While living in Germany in the early 70s, most Germans I met from that generation continued to rationalize their part in Nazi Germany when the theme came up. The Poznan conference speech by Himmler and her ivestigation into Speer's presence of being there or not was brilliant. The book, even with the large lifting of segments from Speer's book, is, I think, too technical for the novice reader of this time in history to be of much help. To the educated, she could have gotten to her point in a book half as thick without losing any of its spectacular points.
Rating:
Summary: examination of guilt and repentence
Review: Gita Sereny's "Albert Speer: His Battle with Truth" is well-written meticulously researched opus on the colorful life, memorable tribulations and profound ethical conflicts of the formed Minister of Armament and Productions, beloved architect and one of the only real friends Adolf Hitler ever had. "You are Hitler's unrequited love" somebody comments to Speer and the emotional connection between the monster and his servant was profound, complex and infinitely important to both parties. In Speer Hitler found realization of his artistic and romantic dreams, his only sense of real creation outside of the realm of politics and organization, non-threatening acceptance by the men of superior social upbringing based not on fear but on the profound unity of artistic mission. For Speer, Hitler of course brought the position of power, influence and the oracle of truth, possibility of realization of himself for which any architect would've been prepared for a Faustian bargain. From 1932 to 1944 Speer served Hitler with his heart and his soul. After the crisis in his personal life, illness and realization of the war being lost, came a time for Speer to gradually realize that he was serving and evil man. As always in the relationship, this was colored in profoundly personal terms, and due to his calling and upbringing matched into romantic showdown (I am referring to Speer's famous confession in the bunker on the eve of the demise of the Third Reich, which the author implies might not even had happened.) At Nuremberg, Speer was the only defendant who accepted a principle of collective responsibility unconditionally, versed however in smart and carefully terms which might've saved his neck in the long term. There we see the beginning of the personal struggle with guilt and a difficult road to truth. Gita Sereny's analysis is touches on all aspects of Speer's life - childhood, love life, upbringing, social conditions for the upper middle class German of his generation, his years in the helm of power, 20 years in prison and 15 years as a writer, researcher and apologist for his own past. A picture of profoundly disturbed man emerges, a man who becomes "morally extinguished" as the horror outside unravels. Speer was serving his sentence for the rest of his life, unable to live anywhere but in his past, partially lamenting, partially horrified by it, unable to relate very well to his family sacrificed perhaps as a part of his bargain. Profound conflict in Speer's life, his inability to admit or even realize that he was aware of the Final Solution and have done nothing, a horrible mistake of omission hunted him for the rest of his life. This book is a fascinating read, all 750+ pages of it. Some of the material is a didactic repetition of events in Speer's life which can be gotten from his books, but I would not suggest skipping it since Sereny often compares multiple drafts and cross references it with other sources. You have to be committed to this book, but once the commitment is made, you are up for a treat! Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: examination of guilt and repentence
Review: Gita Sereny's "Albert Speer: His Battle with Truth" is well-written meticulously researched opus on the colorful life, memorable tribulations and profound ethical conflicts of the formed Minister of Armament and Productions, beloved architect and one of the only real friends Adolf Hitler ever had. "You are Hitler's unrequited love" somebody comments to Speer and the emotional connection between the monster and his servant was profound, complex and infinitely important to both parties. In Speer Hitler found realization of his artistic and romantic dreams, his only sense of real creation outside of the realm of politics and organization, non-threatening acceptance by the men of superior social upbringing based not on fear but on the profound unity of artistic mission. For Speer, Hitler of course brought the position of power, influence and the oracle of truth, possibility of realization of himself for which any architect would've been prepared for a Faustian bargain. From 1932 to 1944 Speer served Hitler with his heart and his soul. After the crisis in his personal life, illness and realization of the war being lost, came a time for Speer to gradually realize that he was serving and evil man. As always in the relationship, this was colored in profoundly personal terms, and due to his calling and upbringing matched into romantic showdown (I am referring to Speer's famous confession in the bunker on the eve of the demise of the Third Reich, which the author implies might not even had happened.) At Nuremberg, Speer was the only defendant who accepted a principle of collective responsibility unconditionally, versed however in smart and carefully terms which might've saved his neck in the long term. There we see the beginning of the personal struggle with guilt and a difficult road to truth. Gita Sereny's analysis is touches on all aspects of Speer's life - childhood, love life, upbringing, social conditions for the upper middle class German of his generation, his years in the helm of power, 20 years in prison and 15 years as a writer, researcher and apologist for his own past. A picture of profoundly disturbed man emerges, a man who becomes "morally extinguished" as the horror outside unravels. Speer was serving his sentence for the rest of his life, unable to live anywhere but in his past, partially lamenting, partially horrified by it, unable to relate very well to his family sacrificed perhaps as a part of his bargain. Profound conflict in Speer's life, his inability to admit or even realize that he was aware of the Final Solution and have done nothing, a horrible mistake of omission hunted him for the rest of his life. This book is a fascinating read, all 750+ pages of it. Some of the material is a didactic repetition of events in Speer's life which can be gotten from his books, but I would not suggest skipping it since Sereny often compares multiple drafts and cross references it with other sources. You have to be committed to this book, but once the commitment is made, you are up for a treat! Enjoy!
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