The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler

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Summary: Richie's Picks: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF ADOLF HITLER
Review: "There are no memorials to Adolf Hitler in Germany, the country he ruled with an iron hand from 1933 to 1945."

So begins THE LIFE AND DEATH OF ADOLF HITLER by James Cross Giblin, a book that provides essential information for young adults who want to understand the twentieth century. In writing a detailed biography of the most infamous human being of the last hundred years, the author has put together a fascinating story that never lets up. In doing so, Mr. Giblin also provides a clear overview of the events leading up to and through the second world war. Beginning with the haunting cover, the book is illustrated with large, clear photographs of the significant people and places we encounter, as well as several well-drawn caps to which I'd periodically refer as I read the book.

"To celebrate his triumph, Hitler planned a sightseeing tour of Paris, a city he had long admired but never visited. His favorite architect, Albert Speer, accompanied the Führer as he visited the ornate Paris Opera, drove down the broad Champs Élysées, stopped at the Eiffel Tower, and lingered for a long time at the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte. The three-hour tour through almost completely deserted streets--the French deliberately stayed away--ended on the heights of Montmartre, long known as a district for artists. Perhaps its narrow streets and outdoor cafés reminded Hitler of his youthful days in Vienna, when he himself had dreamed of being an artist."

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF ADOLF HITLER does an exceptional job answering the questions of how Hitler was able to gain control of the German government, and how his forces and henchmen were able to succeed so horrifically and effectively before they were finally halted. We see how the long-term effects of the Versailles Treaty on Germany lead almost inevitably to the opportunity for Hitler's rise to power. We are reminded of the significant anti-Semitism in the US, Britain, and other countries that figured into their less-than-stellar response to Hitler's aggression and genocide. (I can remember how my friends' families still weren't welcome at some private clubs in the 60's!) And, of course, we see Hitler from birth to death: as a son, a student, an artist, a failure, and a homeless person who eventually finds a group in which to belong. Joining that organization, making it his, and changing the world forever--the lesson here is not lost on the author, who ends the book with a profile of some Neo-Nazi groups in existence today.

We also get a good look at many of the trustworthy men who turned Hitler's maniacal goals into reality:

"Neat and methodical, Himmler was a born bureaucrat. He worshiped Hitler and would carry out any order the Führer gave him, immediately and without question."

I thought that I knew all about Adolf Hitler. But from the vivid photograph of one of his watercolor paintings to the details of his final hours with Eva Braun and Joseph Goebbels, James Cross Giblin has illuminated the life of a madman and given me a real education.

Richie Partington

Rating:
Summary: The Inverted Saint
Review: Hitler's lebensraum colonial movement - Nazism - possessed all the hallmarks of an institutional religion: priesthood, rites, rituals, temples, worship, catechism, mythology. Hitler was this religion's ascetic saint. He monastically denied himself earthly pleasures (or so he claimed) in order to be able to dedicate himself fully to his calling. Hitler was a monstrously inverted Jesus, sacrificing his life and denying himself so that (Aryan) humanity should benefit. By surpassing and suppressing his humanity, Hitler became a distorted version of Nietzsche's "superman".

But being a-human or super-human also means being a-sexual and a-moral. In this restricted sense, Hitler was a post-modernist and a moral relativist. He projected to the masses an androgynous figure and enhanced it by fostering the adoration of nudity and all things "natural". But what Nazism referred to as "nature" was not natural at all.

It was an aesthetic of decadence and evil (though it was not perceived this way by the Nazis), carefully orchestrated, and artificial. Nazism was about reproduced copies, not about originals. It was about the manipulation of symbols - not about veritable atavism.

In short: Nazism was about theatre, not about life. To enjoy the spectacle (and be subsumed by it), Nazism demanded the suspension of judgment, depersonalization, and de-realization. Catharsis was tantamount, in Nazi dramaturgy, to self-annulment. Nazism was nihilistic not only operationally, or ideologically. Its very language and narratives were nihilistic. Nazism was conspicuous nihilism - and Hitler served as a role model, annihilating Hitler the Man, only to re-appear as Hitler the stychia. Sam Vaknin, author of "Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited"

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Summary: Evil encapsulated
Review: Is it ever appropriate to write a children's biography of an evil man? After reading Giblin's excellent biography of Hitler, the answer is yes. Placing the life of this man within the context of his times, readers get a glimpse of what it was like in Germany before and during his rise to power. Certainly I was surprised to see that in this book scant attention is given to Germany after the war. But as this is the life and death of Hitler, not Germany, I can understand the author's choice. Giblin is clever with his subject too. He does not sentimentalize the dictator, nor demonize him with anything but the man's own actions and words. After reading Russell Freedman's extraordinary biography of Lincoln ("Lincoln: A Photobiography"), I was struck with these two contrasting leaders. Children learning their world history would do well to have these books assigned together. Lincoln and Hitler both dealt with poverty and violence. They led their people through two extraordinarily bloody wars. But while Lincoln sought (in time) to defeat slavery, Hitler instated it country by country. This book is best used as a warning to those who would seek their own glory through political power. Perhaps this is just my own politics at work, but I was struck by how Hitler created a supposed act of terrorism as his excuse to invade Poland. And here we are in a country that has created supposed acts of terrorism (falsified reports of weapons of mass destruction, for example) to invade Iraq. Just a thought. I would read sections of this book aloud to kids, though probably not the parts that refer to Hitler's sex life (or lack thereof).

Rating:
Summary: Evil encapsulated
Review: Is it ever appropriate to write a children's biography of an evil man? After reading Giblin's excellent biography of Hitler, the answer is yes. Placing the life of this man within the context of his times, readers get a glimpse of what it was like in Germany before and during his rise to power. Certainly I was surprised to see that in this book scant attention is given to Germany after the war. But as this is the life and death of Hitler, not Germany, I can understand the author's choice. Giblin is clever with his subject too. He does not sentimentalize the dictator, nor demonize him with anything but the man's own actions and words. After reading Russell Freedman's extraordinary biography of Lincoln ("Lincoln: A Photobiography"), I was struck with these two contrasting leaders. Children learning their world history would do well to have these books assigned together. Lincoln and Hitler both dealt with poverty and violence. They led their people through two extraordinarily bloody wars. But while Lincoln sought (in time) to defeat slavery, Hitler instated it country by country. This book is best used as a warning to those who would seek their own glory through political power. Perhaps this is just my own politics at work, but I was struck by how Hitler created a supposed act of terrorism as his excuse to invade Poland. And here we are in a country that has created supposed acts of terrorism (falsified reports of weapons of mass destruction, for example) to invade Iraq. Just a thought. I would read sections of this book aloud to kids, though probably not the parts that refer to Hitler's sex life (or lack thereof).

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful & Intriguing
Review: James Cross Giblin does a wonderful job of crafting the tale of Hitler's rise and fall. There is, of course, some bias since it expounds on Hitler's lack of compassion for those he deemed unworthy. Overall, he remains objective as he relates Hitler's life and how he lives on today through Neo-Nazis.

Some of the wonderful features the book offers are the array of photos, maps, and cartoons from the period. The book has an attractive format and is a straightforward read. It also contains an index, a glossary of German terms and phrases used, and an extensive list of source notes and works cited. The book would be a wonderful source for a paper or a jumping off point for a larger research project.

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Summary: Wes from Richveiw Middle School
Review: The story is about Adolf Hitler and his group called the Nazis.They killed all of the Jews they could in Germany.Adolf hitler was a deeply disturbed man who had a problem with gypsies, homosexuals and mostly jews. He was beaten by his father , his mother died of breast cancer,He eventually became homeless in vienna and sold paintings.In 1914 he was summoned to the Austiran army.He received two iron crosses for bravery.The story ends when the US army came and defeated the nazis . Then he was found he had committed suicidein a bunker after marring his wife the night before. I dinnt like this book because he killed alot of inocent people.

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Summary: James Cross Giblins The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler
Review: This book was an intriguing read that threw you into the world of Adolf Hitler. Not only was it informative but you didn't get bored as you read it. As its massive size explains itself, this book contains a ton of information; beginning with his birth and young life, up to his siege of power and his death in 1945. By the middle of the book, you can already tell that Toland is an extremly gifted biographer and that his indulegnce with words can carry you off to a nirvana of supreme intelligensia.

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Summary: Is He A Real Man
Review: When ever you think of Adolf Hitler, you always think of what he has done wrong. I bet you never knew how he got people to believe him in his speeches. This man was a person like me and you until some dramatic changes in his young life. Did you know he also was very clever and, charming? Also he was very
intelagent and poor.
In this book it tells all the things that happened to Adolf Hitler.It tells how people believed. How people thought he was the one to lead Germany, but I guess that they never thought he would do so much evil.
He also wanted to do things in his life, and make a good difference as he was interested in the arts. This book tells his life from the beginning as a baby to his death. This shows how Adolf got supporters of the Nazi Party and how the Nazi Party got started.
I would suggest this book for people who want to learn about Adolf.Also I'd recommend this book for people 7th grade and over.