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Defying Hitler  By  cover art

Defying Hitler

By: Sebastian Haffner
Narrated by: Robert Whitfield
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Publisher's summary

When the famous German author Sebastian Haffner died at the age of 91 in 1999, a manuscript was discovered among his unpublished papers. The book was begun in 1939, but with the advent of World War II, Haffner had set it aside. His family made the decision to publish it, and the book became a best seller in Germany in 2002. Spanning the period from 1907 to 1933, it offers a unique perspective on how the average educated German grappled with the rise of Hitler, the growing influence of Nazism, and a rapidly changing society.

Haffner's astute and compelling eyewitness accounts provide a broad overview of a country in a constant state of flux. He examines the pervasive influence of groups such as the Free Corps and the Hitler Youth movement that swept the nation. His own family's financial struggles illustrate the disaster that befell many of Germany's citizens during the apocalyptic year of 1923 when inflation devastated the country. The later peaceful but dangerously uninspiring Stresemann years contributed still further to Hitler's rise to power. This is an invaluable chronicling of day-to-day changes in attitudes, beliefs, politics, and prejudices.

A major best seller in Germany now available for the first time in English, Defying Hitler is an illuminating portrait of a time, a place, and a people.

©2000 Sarah Haffner and Oliver Pretzel (P)2000 Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart/Munchen. Translation © 2002 Oliver Pretzel

Critic reviews

"his is a gem of a book, with as much intellectual force as, say, The Diary of Anne Frank has emotional force....Essential reading about that fearsome era." (Booklist)
"[A] masterpiece...A series of vignettes that vividly convey the texture of life under an emerging totalitarian regime." (The New York Times Book Review)
"A vivid examination of just how Hitler's ascension affected an ordinary German....This intimate self-portrait stands with Victor Klemperer's two-part memoir, I Will Bear Witness, as evidence that the personal can offer insight into the political tragedy of Nazism." (Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Defying Hitler

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The Best Book on Nazi Germany I've Read

My mother’s family is German and I have spent quite a bit of time in Germany and have German friends. Nazi Germany has long been something of a puzzle to me and I’ve read more than a few books about that time, trying to discover how that could have happened. Where was the rule of law, the public outrage, the resistance to atrocities… just how could this have happened?

A few days ago I obtained a copy of Defying Hitler by Sebastian Haffner, the son of a Prussian civil servant, who details the decent into madness by the German people and how it happened. If you are interested in a front seat view of how Germany became a Fascist state, this is the book for you.

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Super Enlightening

Haffner (nom de plume to protect his family never knew this) gives a very insightful analysis of just how the Nazis got Germany by the throat. He's very perceptive about the German character and how this was exploited to the advantage of the jackbooted creeps.

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Excellent book with different perspective

Where does Defying Hitler rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Pretty far up there.

What did you like best about this story?

A perspective I've never thought of. The narration was teriffic.

Which scene was your favorite?

Way too many.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I definitely could have.

Any additional comments?

I've listened to many books on Holocaust, none from this perspective. I naively assumed all Germans were on Hitlers side. I was very wrong! This is a must read if interested in subject matter.

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refreshing to hear from a younger generation

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

yes, it gives a different perspective on life in germany before and during hitler

What was one of the most memorable moments of Defying Hitler?

his realization of not being allowed to say he cared for jews

What about Robert Whitfield’s performance did you like?

emphasis on words and inflections

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

forseen

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Good For Sleeping

I listen mainly as I drive, I have heard this reader before and like him, but the book does not hold my attention, I have just finished with the first part and am trying to work up to reading the second part. It will not be while driving though as I find this book puts me to sleep.

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Excellent by gifted journalist

Narration is perfect. Every consonant, vowel, syllable enunciated precisely. Pausing facilitates comprehension of every thought, systematically building one upon another.

Informative insightful explanation of how an entire generation prepared itself for WW2.

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important

this book should be read in conjunction with Ordinary Men. This is how we are led to do terrible things.

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Gripping First Hand Account

If one wants to understand how Nazi Germany came into being, this is an intellectual account of how it happened. This has a moral lesson for all, particularly the current situation in the USA with the rise of authoritarianism and Trump and his continued popularity among the working class and those who only judge politics by the price they pay for gas. Beware, this could happen again.

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Absolutely astounding account!

This is one of the most fantastic and important books I have ever heard. It gives you an absolutely real, true, and historical glimpse into the rise of Hitler in Germany. What a monumental treasure of literature! I’m so glad the manuscript was preserved through the war so that our generation can more fully understand the development of Hitler’s rise to power and how hypnotizing and dangerous it was for German citizens!

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Incredible, valuable memoir

This searching recollection of growing into adulthood in Nazi Germany not only helps the reader understand this horrific historical moment, but also uncomfortably makes the reader reflect on how she or he would do in such circumstances…now.

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