Hitlerland: American Eyewitnesses to the Nazi Rise to Power

Hitlerland is a collection of individual recollections and anecdotes about the period from 1930 through the start of US involvement in World War 2. While it is full of interesting information, and contains much that I never knew before about the period, it is worth mentioning that it is not a serious history of the period. Rather it centers on the observations of various observers, mostly reporters, about events during the period and how they reported the rise of the Nazis.

It is thoroughly enjoyable and I found myself reluctant to stop listening, but in the end left me feeling that there was not much real history in the book. If you would like an interesting "gossip" piece about the period, this is your book. If you are looking for something serious, you might want to look elsewhere.

I gave it 4 stars because I was expecting something "meatier" than this, but I would stress that it is very interesting and Robert Fass' reading is first class. I am not sure that the classification "light book" can be reasonably applied to anything written about this terrible period of history, but if it can, then this book is qualifies and is first class. I do not mean to suggest that this book treats the period lightly, but only that it is not a period history like Richard J Evans' The Third Reich In Power.

I am a fan of WWII history, but many books on the subject, particularly those that focus on the European theater, typically focus on the grand figures and political moments that lead to the "inevitable" outcome of the war.

This book is different. It tells the story of the inter-war Germany from the perspective of American ex-pats living there and witnessing the Nazi rise to power. You get to see the very flawed and human perspectives that shaped history as it happened.

I'd recommend the book to anyone with an interest in WWII and wants to understand what it was like to see the Nazi party take power.

Informative book from the perspective of intelligent and articulate eye witnesses. An excellent insight to the 3rd Reich. I've gone on to read the Rise and Fall of the 3rd Reich by one of the witnesses. Both highly recommended.

I would probably read the dead tree version rather than listen to it.

The most interesting aspect was the varied levels of support or opposition to Hitler and National Socialism with the stories told. The time was in the 1930's the stigma of being associated with fascists and communists was as (to me) fraught as after the war. You have to remember that the people's perspectives are always from not knowing what's coming next; while the informed listener always knows how the story ends. The opportunities for a different outcome abound.

I think this type of non-fiction is a bit more difficult to follow than others. It's not an issue with the reader, rather the book itself perhaps does not lend itself to audio.

A focused story of some of the involved parties could be very interesting, especially as a period piece (1920's to mid 1940's)

I enjoy this kind of content, the audio book format does not do it justice.

History buffs who don't mind long narratives

Tell "eyewitness" stories from the point of view of different actor eyewitnesses, not as a narrative.

This format doesn't lead to much more interpretation - one narrator telling stories in this way is just boring.

I couldn't get through more than 15 minutes of it. I thought the narrator was giving an introduction, then realized he speaks this way throughout the entire audiobook.