Defying Hitler

A Memoir

By: Sebastian Haffner

Narrated by: Robert Whitfield

Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins

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When the famous German author Sebastian Haffner died at the age of 91 in 1999, a manuscript was discovered among his unpublished papers.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)

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

Fascinating & eerily relatable

Having never considered myself a history buff, I found this to be a pleasant and educational listening experience, which given the content was, at times...well, frightening.

A fascinating look at Germany pre-WW2

I found this book really interesting. It shows just how the Nazi's were able to seize power and manipulate people to do their bidding

Performance

The material is compelling and provided many of the insights I was looking for. My only criticism is on the way the book was read. Being a coach for those who read aloud, I was wearied by the reader's tendency not to use a period inflection -- full stop, as it were -- many places where it would have been more effective than the use of a higher tone at the end of a great percentage of the sentences. It made listening rather monotonous and tedious. A more matter-of-fact reading rather than one that sounded surprised all the time would have made listening more enjoyable for me.

Excellent personal recollection of difficult time

Direct personal experience of a German that could help understanding current social and political disruptions.

DEFYING HITLER

Usually, as the author says, books with a historical slant concentrate on big names and events. This exceedingly well-written book focuses instead on the intricacies of the German character and shows how state propaganda, both seen and subliminal, prepared young people of the WW1 era to be psychologically subservient later to the Hitler regime. Not all were, of course, but as a culture, certain traits predisposed the German people to accept and glorify the Third Reich.
The author's personal story anchors his thesis. Fascinating material.
I was surprised about his choice of geography in his middle age, but that disclosure comes at the end.
Robert Whitfield gave a surpassing reading; one of the reasons I chose this book was because of his collaboration.
Highest recommendation on all counts.

It was like being there.

This book is from the first hand writings of a thoughtful lawyer in Hitler's Germany. He paints a very detailed picture of how it was to live in Germany as Hitler took over the country. His vivid descriptions of all the people in his life, give you such a clear picture that I felt as if I were actually there - sitting on the sidelines experiencing all that he did so many years ago. Very vivid and terrifying at times.

superbly breathtaking!

the narrator gives an authentic voice to the story. the extremely personal accounts and close up the daily CoQ10 in life of Germans at the time not only makes this believable but gives Clarity to the question, the age-old question, how could this happen!?

Perspective

We often view the World Wars with all the disdain we can possibly muster. We question how an entire nation could have been turned to such evil. This author's perspective brings all those questions into a very surreal understanding of how we just allow the slippery slope of darkness sneak in one small step at a time.

Simply Brilliant

Honest and thoughtful account of life in Germany leading up to World War II. The author provides a brief history of the main events that led to the Nazi takeover of government. Nevertheless, the majority of the book is his analysis of the mindset of the ordinary Germans in that trying time. The narrator is fantastic and the story is gripping. One of the best audiobooks I've listened to.