A Child Of Hitler: Germany In The Days When God Wore A Swastika [Paperback]

Alfons Heck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2005

In this starkly candid account of one boy's indoctrination into the Hitler Youth, we see a side of Nazism that has been little recorded. This autobiographical account is a rare glimpse at World War II from a German boy's viewpoint.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A marvelous story that needs to be told" -- Baltimore Sun, 1985

"It is a complicated, lingering history that Heck carries with him." -- Boston Globe March 29, 1985

"Necessary for a full understanding of World War II" -- Detroit Free Press 1985

"This is savagely good yarn. As good in many respects as Erich Maria Remarque's ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT as a social history of common people in uncommon times." -- Los Angeles Times March 7, 1985

From the Publisher

The book,and its sequel, "The Burden of Hitler's Legay," is a unique inside view into the methods of youth indoctrination. The author is the only former high-ranking Hitler Youth leader who writes and speaks openly about his adolescent fascination with Adolf Hitler.

The book is the basis for the 1991 HBO documentary "Heil Hitler: Confessions of a Hitler Youth." Alfons Heck is the narrator and subject of the film, for which he won an "Emmy" and a "Peabody," as well as other awards.

The BBC also used the book in 1988 as source material for its documentary "The Fatal Attraction of Adolf Hitler," in which the author is featured. That film is frequently aired on A&E's "Biograph" series, as well as on the "History Channel."

Heck is also the co-author of the award-winning young adult book "Parallel Journeys," the account of his life as described in "A Child of Hitler," but in contrast to that of his former lecture partner, Helen Waterford, a Jewish survivor of Auschwitz. The late Helen Waterford and Alfons Heck gave joint lectures to hundreds of schools across the United States for nearly ten years. Heck still continues to give lectures at schools and universities. In 1999, he gave the keynote speech during the Holocaust Awareness Week at the University of Colorado at Boulder, based on his book.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: Primer Publishers (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0939650444
• ISBN-13: 978-0939650446
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #124,715 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Man muss diesen Buch lesen, October 4, 2000

By 

"historian0" (South Gate, California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Child Of Hitler: Germany In The Days When God Wore A Swastika (Paperback)

As a student of the Second World War I am very critical when it comes to the books I read over the subject and their sources. Heck's account is nothing short but a must read on the subject. I believe this work is as important as "The Diary of Anne Frank". Most books over this period usually concern themselves with portraying the Germans as monsters and sadists but Heck really gives us an inside depth into the Nazi mentality, especially the Hitlerjugend. In the end he makes the assertion that most regular Germans were the other victims of Hitler besides the Jews and as you read the book you begin to see on what he grounds he bases this claim. The book is a fast read, easy to follow, rich in detail, and very touching. As my German title suggests, "one must read this book"!

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read to understand how entire nations can go wrong, August 20, 2003

By 

J. Cravens (Portland, Oregon (or there abouts)) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Child Of Hitler: Germany In The Days When God Wore A Swastika (Paperback)

I first heard of this book in the late 1980s, when I was at Western Kentucky University. Alfons Heck was touring universities with a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust, and together they would tell the stories. Mr. Heck was amazing -- a sweet, gentle old man, now not only horrified at what he had participated in, but very worried that this could happen again, that people could allow themselves to be twisted in such a way. It was his message over and over -- look for ways that you are being manipulated, think twice before you look for blame on how your life or the economy is going, or you get caught up in a movement, etc. I bought the book right then and there. It is not a very well-written book, true, but the honesty and detail are spell-binding and put this book in the five star range. It's a must-read for anyone wanting to try to understand how entire communities/nations can go so very wrong. I had him sign my copy, and he said at the time that the rights had been bought to make it into a movie. I asked him who he wanted to play his part. He looked up from the book, smiled, and said, "Someone good-looking!" The Jewish lady he was touring with came up at last and put her hand on his shoulder. "Alfons, Alfons, we must go now. We have to go." It was said with such affection.

28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Necessary for a complete understanding, January 28, 2000

By 

M. Reilly (Orlando, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Child Of Hitler: Germany In The Days When God Wore A Swastika (Paperback)

This book was so touching to me because it revealed a much-ignored and rarely mentioned side of WWII. It was a surprisingly human story, one that I never thought I'd hear. I applaud people like Mr. Heck who can stand up and say "There's more to the story." This book is a beautiful homange to the hardships, both humble and terrifying, that Germany's youth faced under Adolf Hitler. I highly recommend this book to anyone with the passion to learn more than the history books tell us.