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Rating: 
Summary: Excellent!
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: 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!
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