Customer Reviews

The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"There are no memorials to Adolf Hitler in Germany, the country he ruled with an iron hand from 1933 to 1945."

So begins THE LIFE AND DEATH OF ADOLF HITLER by James Cross Giblin, a book that provides essential information for young adults who want to understand the twentieth century. In writing a detailed biography of the most infamous human being of the last hundred years, the author has put together a fascinating story that never lets up. In doing so, Mr. Giblin also provides a clear overview of the events leading up to and through the second world war. Beginning with the haunting cover, the book is illustrated with large, clear photographs of the significant people and places we encounter, as well as several well-drawn caps to which I'd periodically refer as I read the book.

"To celebrate his triumph, Hitler planned a sightseeing tour of Paris, a city he had long admired but never visited. His favorite architect, Albert Speer, accompanied the Führer as he visited the ornate Paris Opera, drove down the broad Champs Élysées, stopped at the Eiffel Tower, and lingered for a long time at the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte. The three-hour tour through almost completely deserted streets--the French deliberately stayed away--ended on the heights of Montmartre, long known as a district for artists. Perhaps its narrow streets and outdoor cafés reminded Hitler of his youthful days in Vienna, when he himself had dreamed of being an artist."

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF ADOLF HITLER does an exceptional job answering the questions of how Hitler was able to gain control of the German government, and how his forces and henchmen were able to succeed so horrifically and effectively before they were finally halted. We see how the long-term effects of the Versailles Treaty on Germany lead almost inevitably to the opportunity for Hitler's rise to power. We are reminded of the significant anti-Semitism in the US, Britain, and other countries that figured into their less-than-stellar response to Hitler's aggression and genocide. (I can remember how my friends' families still weren't welcome at some private clubs in the 60's!) And, of course, we see Hitler from birth to death: as a son, a student, an artist, a failure, and a homeless person who eventually finds a group in which to belong. Joining that organization, making it his, and changing the world forever--the lesson here is not lost on the author, who ends the book with a profile of some Neo-Nazi groups in existence today.

We also get a good look at many of the trustworthy men who turned Hitler's maniacal goals into reality:

"Neat and methodical, Himmler was a born bureaucrat. He worshiped Hitler and would carry out any order the Führer gave him, immediately and without question."

I thought that I knew all about Adolf Hitler. But from the vivid photograph of one of his watercolor paintings to the details of his final hours with Eva Braun and Joseph Goebbels, James Cross Giblin has illuminated the life of a madman and given me a real education.

Richie Partington

When I started reading this book, the first few pages were quite, slow. When I got to the part of how exactly the "National Socialist Party (Nazis)" formed, I became "glued to the book."
For the past year or so I've been extremely interested in the Holocaust, Nazis, but mainly the ruthless murderer himself, Mr. Adolf Hitler, and his Final Solution plans to take over Germany, dictate, and wipe out all Jews, as he once said, "I want Jews off the face of the Earth."
I'd recommend this book to a variety of people. Although, this book doesn't quite suit children under the age of nine. This is more of a Young Adult novel, for teenagers interested in learning about National Socialism, the Holocaust, and Adolf Hitler from his quotes from Mein Kampf, and James Cross Giblin's perspective on the matter. This book also includes events from Anne Frank, and Colonel Stauffenberg who plotted the assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler, named "Operation Valkurie." This book, personally has changed my life, especially since I come from the Jewish religion and am interested in learning about my heritage. Other books I would recommend to you, having to doing with sacrifices, and the Holocaust, are, "Number the Stars," and "The Devils Arithmetic." I would most definitely give each of these books a five star rating! I hope all you buyers on Amazon found this review very helpful. Shalom! and Peace to the World."

When ever you think of Adolf Hitler, you always think of what he has done wrong. I bet you never knew how he got people to believe him in his speeches. This man was a person like me and you until some dramatic changes in his young life. Did you know he also was very clever and, charming? Also he was very
intelagent and poor.
In this book it tells all the things that happened to Adolf Hitler.It tells how people believed. How people thought he was the one to lead Germany, but I guess that they never thought he would do so much evil.
He also wanted to do things in his life, and make a good difference as he was interested in the arts. This book tells his life from the beginning as a baby to his death. This shows how Adolf got supporters of the Nazi Party and how the Nazi Party got started.
I would suggest this book for people who want to learn about Adolf.Also I'd recommend this book for people 7th grade and over.

This book was an intriguing read that threw you into the world of Adolf Hitler. Not only was it informative but you didn't get bored as you read it. As its massive size explains itself, this book contains a ton of information; beginning with his birth and young life, up to his siege of power and his death in 1945. By the middle of the book, you can already tell that Toland is an extremly gifted biographer and that his indulegnce with words can carry you off to a nirvana of supreme intelligensia.

This is a review of THE LIFE AND DEATH OF ADOLF HITLER by James Cross Giblin. Mine is the hard cover edition published in New York by Clarion in 2002.

The book itself is beautifully illustrated, nicely bound and printed in somewhat larger type than most books, a treat for my aging eyes. It is, however, intended for young readers who know little, or nothing, about Adolf Hitler.

How do you write a book about Hitler for young readers? James Cross Giblin gives us a good example in THE LIFE AND DEATH OF ADOLF HITLER. The fact that he's also one of the foremost authors of books for children and youth helps a lot. Giblin explains on his own biographical site that "I try to write books that I would have enjoyed reading when I was the age of my readers."

Although Giblin is best known for books oriented to readers aged eight to twelve, THE LIFE AND DEATH OF ADOLF HITLER looks to me like it's more appropriate for teenagers. Giblin's style is straightforward and easy to read and he includes a helpful "Glossary" of key terms such as "Fuhrer", "Wehrmacht", and "SA."

He also includes "Source Notes and Bibliography" with suggestions for further reading. He refers to three major biographies of Hitler, John Toland's, Ian Kershaw's and Joachim Fest's, thus ensuring American, British and German perspectives. This makes sense, but why omit Alan Bullock's ground-breaking biography or Robert Payne's? They're both Englishmen, but their works are both helpful. And why ignore Lothar Machtan's recent HIDDEN HITLER? He's German and his work is both interesting and pertinent. Giblin's book also has a useful index.

Although Giblin does a good job, I prefer William L. Shirer's THE RISE AND FALL OF ADOLF HITLER which came out in 1961 and was one of the first biographies of Hitler by an American. Albert B. Gerber's excellent LIFE OF ADOLF HITLER also came out in 1961, but it wasn't oriented toward youthful readers. Like Shirer, Gerber was an American author and it's too bad that his book tends to be overlooked.

Shirer's book is long out of print and wasn't nearly as attractively printed, bound and illustrated as Giblin's. Clarion did a wonderful job on this book. My only complaint about Giblin's writing is that it strikes me as a bit too bland and textbookish. He writes well, but sometimes he seems more intent on avoiding a controversy than he does on describing Hitler. This is "Hitler Lite."

For example, he doesn't mention rumors examined by Machtan that Hitler lied about winning the Iron Cross First Class as a soldier in WW I. He also doesn't address the fact that the Fuhrer and some of his henchmen were homosexuals as Machtan demonstrated in THE HIDDEN HITLER. And he gives little attention to Hitler's childhood and such controversies as spitting out the Host when his father forced him to take Communion.

Giblin also glosses over Hitler's cowardice in the Beer Hall Putsch and his suspected murder of his young niece, Geli Raubal. A writer of Giblin's expertise could surely have made the reader aware of these dark shadows in Hitler's life without bogging down in a swamp of kinky rumors and innuendo.

These aren't major problems and I understand why a book intended for a youth audience didn't address them, but I'd have given him five stars for trying.

Large Font, Almost 8'' by 11'' size book, with plenty of pictures. Easy read; actually entertains the reader. Perfect to use for a school Biography assignment.

This is a great over view about the making of Hitler and his life. My 12 year old son chose this book for a school project and he and I are both enjoying it. We are taking turns reading to one another and I am learning event by event what Hitler AND other world leaders did to cause/not pervent WWII. This book is worth your time and great for school projects. Happy reading!

This book is very informative. It gives the background of one of the world's most infamous men. It is not biased in any way. Instead, it gives a clear history of Hitler's life. Readers might be surprised to find out about the many accomplishments of this much-hated man. It made me think about how Adolf Hitler could have contributed to society, instead of hurting so many people. Things could have been VERY different...It is so sad to realize he wasted his talents and destroyed many lives because of hate.

Is it ever appropriate to write a children's biography of an evil man? After reading Giblin's excellent biography of Hitler, the answer is yes. Placing the life of this man within the context of his times, readers get a glimpse of what it was like in Germany before and during his rise to power. Certainly I was surprised to see that in this book scant attention is given to Germany after the war. But as this is the life and death of Hitler, not Germany, I can understand the author's choice. Giblin is clever with his subject too. He does not sentimentalize the dictator, nor demonize him with anything but the man's own actions and words. After reading Russell Freedman's extraordinary biography of Lincoln ("Lincoln: A Photobiography"), I was struck with these two contrasting leaders. Children learning their world history would do well to have these books assigned together. Lincoln and Hitler both dealt with poverty and violence. They led their people through two extraordinarily bloody wars. But while Lincoln sought (in time) to defeat slavery, Hitler instated it country by country. This book is best used as a warning to those who would seek their own glory through political power. Perhaps this is just my own politics at work, but I was struck by how Hitler created a supposed act of terrorism as his excuse to invade Poland. And here we are in a country that has created supposed acts of terrorism (falsified reports of weapons of mass destruction, for example) to invade Iraq. Just a thought. I would read sections of this book aloud to kids, though probably not the parts that refer to Hitler's sex life (or lack thereof).

This would be a good book as an intro to Hitler for a 10-12 year old. As an adult, the book read almost like "See Jane run, run Jane run" kind of simple language. I was just disappointed by this elementary level of writing.