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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We seldom think of the children of the infamous perpetrators of the Holocaust. This book presents them in realistic, if sometimes frustrating, detail.
If you are a student of WWII, this is one more book to fill out the 3-D character of several of Hitler’s henchmen, from the view of their children. It is weird to realize that they could be model fathers simultaneously with being monsters. It is also interesting, psychologically, to see the various reactions of the children when they come to realize, or refuse to admit, what their fathers really were.
It was interesting to find out what happened to the children of the most powerful Nazis. The book was well written and researched.
It is interesting to learn how children of Nazi mass murderers have dealt with the infamy of their fathers. Quite a surprising unsuspected spectrum of responses depending on their family dynamic and the absence of remorse by their fathers casting foreboding shadows on the subsequent development of each of their children. It is remarkable how emotionally cold some of these criminals were towards their children while others generated true love in their children towards them.
Hard to read but very telling about the mind set and how people can treat others like animals while treating their own families in a loving, caring manner. In some ways it’s a very scary book
Very informative book if you are interested in this topic.
A correct spellings of German words and quotations had not been verified before publication.
Some editing would be useful.
A great subject but this is a dissertation not easily read.
Very interesting book.
Interesting to learn about these people and how different their responses to their parents activities were.
Was a sad book but true.
Not a good or useful book. Would not recommend.
Very interesting and insightful read. Parent child relationships are often complicated. These children, who essentially had monsters for Father’s, provides a unique insight into the parent child dynamic and the surprising turns they can take.
I’m glad I read the book, but it is not for the faint of heart.
Interesting to see how their children viewed them.
Sad to see the lasting effects these murderous fathers had on their children.
Interesting. Taught me more about a subject that is interesting to me.
Very interesting book,well researched, new information
Disturbing but important to see how twisted one can become when raised on lies and deceit.
Very interesting subject matter. Fascinating to see how the children of WWII monster see their fathers in such varied ways.