KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps

By: Nikolaus Wachsmann

Narrated by: Paul Hodgson

Length: 31 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

In KL, Wachsmann fills this glaring gap in our understanding. He not only synthesizes a new generation of scholarly work, much of it untranslated and unknown outside of Germany, but also presents startling revelations, based on many years of archival research, about the functioning and scope of the camp system. Examining, close up, life and death inside the camps, and adopting a wider lens to show how the camp system was shaped by changing political, legal, social, economic, and military forces, Wachsmann produces a unified picture of the Nazi regime and its camps that we have never seen before.

A boldly ambitious work of deep importance, KL is destined to be a classic in the history of the 20th century. Many books have explored the general history of the Holocaust and the Nazis, or anatomized individual concentration camps. But there has, surprisingly, never been a comprehensive history of the camps that integrates the stories of both the broad development of the system and daily life in the camps. In KL (the widely used acronym for konzentrationslager, German for concentration camps), Wachsmann offers an unprecedented account of the development of the camps, similar in scope and approach to Anne Applebaum's best-selling and award-winning Gulag: A History (2003). We will publish on the 70th anniversary of the liberation of most of the camps in April 1945.

Wachsmann is the first to synthesize a new generation of original scholarship on the camps, much of it only available in German and little-known in the English-speaking world. And he has unearthed a wide range of new documents, offering startling new revelations about the history of the camps.

©2015 Original Material by Nikolaus Wachsmann (P)2015 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"Nikolaus Wachsmann has written an admirable historical overview of the Nazi concentration camps, effectively combining decades of recent scholarship with his own original research. He captures both the trajectory of dynamic change through which the camp system evolved as well as the experiences and agency - however limited - of the prisoner community. This is an impressive and valuable book." (Christopher R. Browning, Frank Porter Graham Professor of History Emeritus, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

"It is hard to imagine that Nik Wachsmann's superb book, surely to become the standard work on Nazi concentration camps, will ever be surpassed. Based on a huge array of widely scattered sources, it is a gripping as well as comprehensive and authoritative study of this grim but highly important topic." (Ian Kershaw, author of The End: The Defiance and Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1944 – 1945)

I Am Grateful For The Narrator

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

Yes, but only to those who want to learn more about World War II and can handle this long grim detailed recount.

What was one of the most memorable moments of KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps?

I got a huge sense of renewed interest when the topic of the book switched to human experiments in the KL. Before listening to this audio book I have always assumed this aspect of it was pure science fiction.

What does Paul Hodgson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Before I got this audio book I read the reviews and noticed a lot of people warning or shunning the narrator for doing this various accents throughout the book. I found his pace, tone, and pronunciations to be spot on. Some of his accents were better than others (I was surprised how well his American accent was). I did not find that it took away from the seriousness or tone of the book, but considered it more of an enhancement. I was able to easily identify which parts of the text were direct quotes and who was being quoted. I am a bit ashamed to admit that was one quote towards the end of the book that actually made me laugh, but after hearing 29 hours of torturous recounts of the going-on's of the KL it was a welcome change.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The book was a huge eye-opener for me about that time in history. As a result I did research online and watched a few KL-related movies to get a more personal view of what went on. The content of this book will definitely be on my mind for a long time to come and has permanently altered my view of the world.

Any additional comments?

The content of the book is a tough pill to swallow and with it being over 31 hours long I don't know if I would have been able to get through it without the great narration of Paul Hodgson. Stick it out to the end and you will be grateful you did.

This is a history that needed to be written.

I'm "only" eleven hours into this book. and while I find it somewhat depressing I will finish it. The narrator's German accent is indeed abominable but it has the benefit of putting emphasis that this is a direct quotation. I'm glad I didn't let that deter me from purchasing the book.

Very comprehensive

The book itself was very well done but the narrator was terrible with the accents. It sounded like a bad tv comedy version of the Germans

Excellent. Well written.

Very well written. Good enough for scholar or laymen. Lots of information put together in a very captivating and flowing way.

Only qualm would be the laughably horrible narrator's accent impersonations. They are very " over typical" exaggerations of various accents.

Highly recommended listen.

Haunting

It was a very sobering book. I can’t say that I enjoyed it, given the subject matter. But I recommend it. The only thing I didn’t like was the way the accents would change depending on if they were “quoting” a German, American, or other nationality.

Powerful!!

What made the experience of listening to KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps the most enjoyable?

This book is not enjoyable. This book is history at its finest. A must read.

What did you like best about this story?

Nothing. It is most difficult to listen to what the SA and SS did in the name of a better Germany. EVERYONE should read/listen to this book. Everyone needs to know and remember.

Which scene was your favorite?

None

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The entire book moved me. Sometimes to tears.

Any additional comments?

This book is so powerful and so moving and so disturbing that there were times I had to stop listening for a couple of days to get past the strong emotions. I think this book should be required reading for ALL world history classes, and most especially for any study of Germany and the Third Reich. We need reminders of the atrocities committed by the Nazis. We need a reminder of what we should never let happen again.

This book is moving, emotional, gripping, and powerful!

Most comprehensive history of concentration camps

I don’t think I could have read this. As an audible, it was very informative, and made my understanding of how initial concentration camps morphed into the eventual holocaust.

It’s not enjoyable, as someone else said. It’s hard to hear how all of the various victims were treated. After having red mini World War II books and holocaust specific books, this book truly gave me a better understanding of how the whole terrible process began and was perpetrated in a way it’s a shame it’s so detailed because too many people won’t continue through it .

I cannot imagine the amount of time and effort that went into the research. Based on my previous readings, I didn’t find more than one or two areas minor points really that I was unsure about. This was so well researched and comprehensive. I recommend it to anybody that really wants a better understanding of the holocaust .

At the end, when they describe the trials and variations of remembering and forgetting by countries, politicians, and it’s also enlightening

Truly, we must never forget. And unfortunately, since World War II there have been smaller, genocides. Ethnic cleansing is also genocide may God protect us from ourselves.

Trump as president - take notice

Long but worth the effort to keep the facts connected and fear developments of today.

Unflinching

And deep and detailed account of Nazi concentration camps. Giving an inside look at the SS death machine. A must listen.

this was eye opening.

So much detail. I will never look at Russia the same again. For me, that was the most surprising story.