In 1940, the German sons and daughters of great Nazi dignitaries Himmler, Göring, Hess, Frank, Bormann, Speer, and Mengele were children of privilege at four, five, or ten years old, surrounded by affectionate, all-powerful parents. Although innocent and unaware of what was happening at the time, they eventually discovered the extent of their father’s occupations: These men—their fathers who were … were capable of loving their children and receiving love in return—were leaders of the Third Reich, and would later be convicted as monstrous war criminals. For these children, the German defeat was an earth-shattering source of family rupture, the end of opulence, and the jarring discovery of Hitler’s atrocities.
How did the offspring of these leaders deal with the aftermath of the war and the skeletons that would haunt them forever? Some chose to disown their past. Others did not. Some condemned their fathers; others worshipped them unconditionally to the end. In this enlightening book, Tania Crasnianski examines the responsibility of eight descendants of Nazi notables, caught somewhere between stigmatization, worship, and amnesia. By tracing the unique experiences of these children, she probes at the relationship between them and their fathers and examines the idea of how responsibility for the fault is continually borne by the descendants.
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Brief but satisfying looks into the lives of some of the worst people who ever lived and their families. Fascinating, and a unique perspective I hadn’t thought about much before. At times heartbreaking, at times flat-out, red-eyed, trying-not-to-scream, wanna-go-back-in-time-and-change-history, no-I-will-not-throw-this-Kindle infuriating. Hard to follow the narrative at a few points, but I think that’s down to me having a hell of a time with names and trying to keep track of so many people.
Too matter of fact. Skipped many pages.
This was a difficult book to read because of the contents. But, I feel it is a valuable book to preserve another view of the horrors of Nazi Germany. The children of several of the highest ranking officers were interviewed along with much research to help understand the position these children were placed. Very well done.
Pedestrian prose, long, useful to anyone interested in WWII and aftermath minutia.
This was most interesting. So often, we forget about the families of world leaders, especially the ones we hold in contempt. For me, the worst scene of all the WWII books, including those about extermination camps, was in this book. A great book for anyone interested in WWII.
Never thought about the families of the Nazi leaders and what their lives were like before and after WWII. Found this book informative and interesting. Easy to read. Good author.
While the book states it is about the children of Nazi’s, it is primarily about their fathers. It is necessary to discuss the actions of the parents but how the children of Nazi’s dealt with their situations is very sparse. There is very little analysis of the position the children found themselves in and even less objective discussion of the societal forces the children faced. This is written by an attorney and not an academic. So, the book lacks a fuller discussion of the children’s lives with in the changing societies.
Wish it was more in depth. But I guess it was limited to the willingness of the children to share their thoughts.
This was a very interesting read. Don’t assume all children love and will stand by their parents and their actions.
Well-researched accounts of the various paths taken by the offspring of Nazi officers
Hard to read. I needed more description of situation child was in.
It answers a lot of questions about the families of the Nazi war criminals.
Sad story of what happen to the children of the Nazi elite. How their lives were affected by what their fathers did.
I found it interesting to read how children of the Nazi elite dealt with the legacies of their fathers. They ranged from total devotion to the parent and complete denial of their crimes to total rejection of the parent and condemnation. One son even converted to Judaism. An informative look at the personal consequences of the Nazi regime.
This excellent book is important and relevant for today’s world situation, especially with the resurgence of racism, neo-Nazi movements, dictatorships around the world, and relativistic morality. Heartbreaking. Read this book along with the extraordinarily well-researched “A Man Called Intrepid” (reveals Hitler’s plans for world domination – clearly including the US, and heroes who fought and often died to stop him), plus “Marching Orders” (Japan’s secret messages about cooperating with Nazi Germany, encouraging Germany to use gas when invading Britain, post-WWII propaganda to sway world opinion, etc.) I bought these three books independently (I’m a history teacher), but the topics are related, earthshaking and revealing.
it is enlightening to see that the children believe what they want rather than face the truth about their fathers
Being born in Germany to a father who was a member of the Weapons SS, I know the German History of this black era inside and out! My school curricula were heavy with Third Reich topics and my father had plenty of inside information to add. But I never knew the side of the children of these awful men! It was very enlightening to read their stories!
History they never taught me.
I wondered how the children of Nazis coped with the realization of what their parents did. I guess each handled it in their own way
This is an interesting much-researched account of the children of some of the twentieth century’s worst monsters. Whether they chose to stand by the memory of a loving father or reject and loath the father’s part in this human tragedy, these children grew into adults carrying this stigma. Some embraced it and some changed their names to protect themselves and their families. For those who embraced it is to me beyond comprehension.