A Crack in the Wall: Growing Up Under Hitler [Paperback]

Horst Kruger (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

Product Details

• Paperback: 242 pages
• Publisher: Fromm Intl; First Edition edition (January 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0880640529
• ISBN-13: 978-0880640527
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,068,721 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Living a non political life under Hitler., December 14, 2007

By 

Kevin M Quigg (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A Crack in the Wall: Growing Up Under Hitler (Paperback)

Kruger does a good job of showing how life in Hitler's Germany was like. Kruger grew up in a non political family and went to school when Hitler's regime started. Due to his associating with the "wrong elements" in school, he was imprisoned for three months. His life was difficult. His sister committed suicide. His parents died at the end of the war. He surrendered to the Americans after his best friend was shot for desertion. I wondered what the previous reviewer was thinking when he stated that Kruger had something to hide. This man admitted that by tolerating Hitler and his regime, the Germans were responsible for the death and destruction of World War II.

I thought this book was well written and interesting. I wish he would have include more of his wartime experiences. His book was both scholarly and thought provoking.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Candid self-examination, February 5, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: A Crack in the Wall: Growing Up Under Hitler (Paperback)

I thought this book was a fascinating description of the author's experiences and conclusions after years of self-examination. It is a topic that people like him are loathe to discuss face-to-face, one which so easily devolves into polemics that it is traumatic for all participants. Since it is a monologue, the reader is muted, a provoking experience in itself, given the nature of the subject matter.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This is an author who is seeking salvation., September 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Crack in the Wall: Growing Up Under Hitler (Paperback)

I was struck by the defensive stance of the author. The story itself was interesting in a factual sense, but at every turn it seemed that the author was asking for our forgiveness and our understanding that not every German was a monster. The "I didn't know" attitude didn't convince me. I could more easily understand an "I knew but there was nothing I could do about it" excuse of the horrors of WW2. That the author's life was tough I have no doubt, but I don't feel sorry for him.