Best New Reading of 2004 : Defying Hitler
Another history book for the list, Defying Hitler: A Memoir by Sebastian Haffner. A brilliantly written memoir of life in Germany in the 1930s, covering the period from before Hitler’s ascent to power to a few years before the start of the war in Europe. Haffner wrote the book after he emigrated to Britain in 1938, however it was only published when his son discovered the manuscript after his father’s death.
The book is a wonderful study of life inside Germany during those tumultuous years. It covers life as Haffner studies to become a lawyer and lives his life in Berlin. We get to see how life changed under the Nazis and how each sphere of life gradually came under their influence. Haffner, his family and friends see their lives twisted and changed as friends turn against each other and people accept things which they found inconceivable only years before. It provides a fascinating insight into exactly how the Nazis came to exert such total control, seen from the point of view of one of the regular Germans rather than from the positions of power. A masterful and important book.