From Publishers Weekly
Chairman of the history department at Yeshiva University, Marrin avoids both psychobabble and outrage as he discusses the childhood influences and failures as a young adult (including an aborted painting career) that led to Hitler's destructive, racist personality. He also provides an accurate account of Hitler's heroics as a soldier in World War I, where he came to love war, and the qualities that helped him transform the Nazi Party from a handful of beer-hall quacks into a totalitarian movement. But the wartime section often repeats erroneous conventional interpretations (for example, that Allied bombing of Germany cut back production of Nazi war material), and there are some factual errors, especially regarding Soviet historyfor example, the Bolsheviks overthrew Kerensky and the Provisional Government, not the Tsar. Marrin also has a tendency to give half-explanations, as when he explains that "Barbarossa"the code name for the Nazi invasion of Russiameans "redbeard" but not that it refers to Frederick Barbarossa, the 12th century emperor. Despite these problems, the book is a useful, enlightening study of what created Hitler the madman, and a passable introduction to the events of World War II. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Grade 6-9 Hitler's life is inseparable from Hitler's Germany and Hitler's war, so it is not surprising that, after describing the dictator's childhood and youth in Austria, Marrin turns away from personal biography to describe life in Nazi Germany and then to recount the campaigns of World War II. Throughout the history of events, however, he points to the influence of the dictator, his increasingly irrational drive to consummate his racial policies, and his responsibility for major military decisions. Marrin brings to this biography a wealth of background information. The author is scrupulous in mentioning sources, and he makes liberal use of quotations, statistics, popular sayings, and other factual material. While not a complete biography, the book emphasizes facts that young readers should know about the impact of Hitler's policies on the lives of the German people, the controls exercised over a whole society, and the horrors of the Second World War. In comparison to available literature on this period of history, Marrin's book stands out for its lively writing, its emphasis on personal anecdote, its value as a reference source, and its insight into the nature of totalitarianism. It is an excellent addition to any library. Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, N.J.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
