Rating: 
Summary: A LONG WALK
Review: "A Long Walk" by Claus Hackenberger, is a true story that needed to be told and he has in a very descriptive way. His story of a boy growing up into manhood in Natzi Germany is so descriptive it makes you feel like you are there with him. The boy growing into a man (before his time) shows how hard a life he had and in many ways how horrific it was. It is hard to imagine people having to go through the terrible things let alone surviving them and still turning out human. It is sad so many did not survive and could not cope. The story really shows how people sucked into an ideology can mess up so many millions of lives. Pure evil at work. It was nice to see how his faith helped keep him going in the worst of possible times. The book also gives history on treatment of German soldiers held in work camps years after the wars end. Not something that was ever shared in any of my history classes. I highly recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Compelling
Review: By beginning the book with the details of his childhood, I developed a quick rapport with his character. He was any "normal" sensitive child with typical kid difficulties. By the time he went to war, I had truly bonded with him and was pulling for Paul every step of the way.
Of course, this conflicts with the "othering" that occurs during wars: we can't see enemies as people, only as nameless, faceless monsters. This book is a huge paradigm shift on a personal and universal level. While reading the details of his inprisonment, I marveled that he lived to even tell the tale. It also certainly made me more grateful and aware of my daily privileges.
While there were a couple rough patches in the writing here and there, I was amazed by some majestically beautiful prose. I found myself irritated whenever I was interrupted while trying to read because it was a page turner. I wanted to know what would happen next, would he make it home, would he be happy? In a way, the ending left me a little unsatisfied because I truly wanted to know more about his life and his experiences, I didn't want it to end.
I would highly recommend this book for anyone who would like to view the world through the eyes of an "enemy."
Rating:
Summary: Wow Wow Wow!
Review: Having met Claus before reading A Long Walk made the experience even more magical for me. How Claus came to find love and forgiveness after living this gruesome tale is a testament to this extraordinary man. There is so much to say about A Long Walk - where to begin. What struck me most about this book is the realization that few people were willing participants in the most gruesome historical event of our times. Thanks for sharing the not-so-popular truths Claus. I pray your book gets international attention.
Rating:
Summary: What is History. The discovery of the truth.
Review: Here is a book which belongs in the Library of every History Department. Why? It provides a link in the chain of events that took place in Germany - at the ending of World WarII and thereafter. Known is that Hitler had reached the point where he no longer concerned himself with the human aspects. Not even the fate of his own soldiers. Hundreds of memoirs account for the horrors of the Holocaust. Then there are war stories galore.Did Hackenberger just add another one? Far more, he presents us with the fascinating account of his young life as a Flak-gunner. He was a boy-hero - but on the side of the losers.
Sometimes, his thoughts side-tracked the gripping events of his story but otherwise it is such a well-written book (what a vocabulary!) that it deserves literary acclaim as well. Why is its historical value priceless, indeed? Hackenberger who, as an American POW was transfered to the French and ended up in a slave labour camp from which he fled. All this took place after the Second World War, between 1945 and 1948 and that makes it (so far) one of a kind. In the light of later knowledge A LONG WALK had been missing from the book-shelves for over fifty years. Finally, it has arrived.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Story
Review: I have read Claus' book, A Long Walk, as a historical look at WWII from a German soldier's perspective. I loved the book. It gave me a different perspective on the war. I teach U.S. History and when I teach about this war, I always focus on the U.S. perspective. But after reading Claus' book, I have a broader understanding of the conflict and the toll this war took on the people of Germany. Claus' story is not only touching but is full of content. He brings in how he was brought up in Nazi Germany and how that upbringing led to his involvement in the German Army. He also gives us a very personal perspective of life in Nazi Germany for a typical family, and how war tore families and friends apart. I treasure Claus' ability to write about his personal involvement in WWII.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Story
Review: I have read Claus' book, A Long Walk, as a historical look at WWII from a German soldier's perspective. I loved the book. It gave me a different perspective on the war. I teach U.S. History and when I teach about this war, I always focus on the U.S. perspective. But after reading Claus' book, I have a broader understanding of the conflict and the toll this war took on the people of Germany. Claus' story is not only touching but is full of content. He brings in how he was brought up in Nazi Germany and how that upbringing led to his involvement in the German Army. He also gives us a very personal perspective of life in Nazi Germany for a typical family, and how war tore families and friends apart. I treasure Claus' ability to write about his personal involvement in WWII.
Rating:
Summary: The "All Quiet on the Western Front" of WW2
Review: I heard Claus interviewed on NPR and, although I read fiction, I was smitten by his compassion, his saga during WWII and his lack of bitterness toward his US captors. I bought the book, read it and have changed my mind about war. It isn't "hell", it's worse. Congratulations to Claus for writing a compelling first-hand account of war from the POW's point of view.
Rating:
Summary: this was great
Review: I thought this was one of the best world war two books i have ever read. It was interesting to hear the story from a perspective other than jews persecuted, it really helped me understand that all germans who fought for the nazis didn't always know what was actually going on. I recommend it to anyone who wants to hear a really good story and is interested in world war two.
Rating:
Summary: A quick read, an inspiring story, and a profound implication
Review: In his wonderful book A Long Walk, Hackenberger portrays Paul, his autobiographical character as a fairly innocent boy who is understandably swallowed up by his culture at the time, which was controlled by the Nazi empire. Because of the cultural and political zeitgeist, political or moral opinions to the contrary were of little relevance. Anything even slightly outside of strict allegiance would have been viewed by others as not doing one's duty to their beloved homeland. Paul follows suit with what his country tells him he supposed to do, and we next see him as a Nazi soldier fighting in WW II. Soon enough, Paul is captured and sent to a series of prison camps. I hesitate to give too much away, but throughout his odyssey, Paul meets numerous philanthropic individuals who help him travel from one location to the next, often without asking anything from him in return. Obviously during this long and difficult time, there are numerous trials and tribulations that Paul endures, but Hackenberger chooses to draw attention to what got him through such ordeals, as opposed to focusing so much on the ordeals themselves. In this way, Hackenberger's point of view is reminiscent to me of the outlook taken by Viktor Frankl in his tome, Man's Search for Meaning. While the main WW II comparisons between the two books are obvious, it is the optimistic view, focusing on the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, shared by each of the respective main characters, Paul and Viktor himself, that get them through the most difficult of their experiences. Hackenberger's tale reminds us all about the inherent good in mankind. How wonderful to read a book that points to the positivity of those we in the western world typically view as the enemy. I find this to be a seriously important reminder, especially in today's world where entire nations are portrayed by our own political leaders in such black-and-white terms, such as "evil". Hackenberger shows us all that inhabitants of the world have much more in common with each other than they are led to believe.
Rating:
Summary: Moving- A Whole New Way of Looking at WWII
Review: When I read, A Long Walk, for the first time, I found myself doing a lot of thinking. Until then, I had read, and researched only about the American and Jewish side of World War Two. To be honest, I was a little hostile toward the Germans, but it did not last. In his book, Claus Hackenberger reached out, and opened my eyes. I saw that the Allies were not the only ones who suffered, and that the Germans weren't the only bad guys of the war. Throughout the book, Claus writes about experiences of his own. He shows honor, courage, and a dtermination to survive the hardships that came after the war. To write a book like this takes courage in itself, and I believe that Claus did a terrific job, and should be commended for his wonderful work. Thank you Claus Hackenberger, for opening our eyes, and letting us see your story for ourselves.
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