Probably the longest book I've ever read. I enjoyed it. I'm interested in others' thoughts on this.
Mr. AGSPRT04 said:
Finished it last week. 45hrs listening on audio book. I really enjoyed Shrier's first-hand account of the French surrender at the Compiegne Forest.
As for the critique that Shrier's book is flawed because it posits that German submission to the Nazis was a continuation of Luther's attitude toward the Anabaptists (the one listed on the book's Wikipedia entry I might add)- this theory is only mentioned in passing and is not a unifying theme throughout the book. It's hardly a reason not to read the it.
Dr. Watson said:Mr. AGSPRT04 said:
Finished it last week. 45hrs listening on audio book. I really enjoyed Shrier's first-hand account of the French surrender at the Compiegne Forest.
As for the critique that Shrier's book is flawed because it posits that German submission to the Nazis was a continuation of Luther's attitude toward the Anabaptists (the one listed on the book's Wikipedia entry I might add)- this theory is only mentioned in passing and is not a unifying theme throughout the book. It's hardly a reason not to read the it.
He didn't say not to read it, just that Shrier's form of historical determinism is not generally accepted. Making those kinds of meta-arguments is usually a form of begging the question and will always be problematic. That doesn't take away from the value in the book.
I felt the same way when I read it, many years ago now.Cinco Ranch Aggie said:
I always thought this was a comprehensive work on Nazi Germany. I read it for the first time roughly 5 years ago and was amazed at its readability given its massive size and the scope of the subject matter. I felt that it was a slow read over the first several hundred pages that were dedicated to Hitler's early history and the formation of the Nazis, but once Shirer turned his attention toward events that actually led to WWII and the events of the war itself, I flew through the remaining several hundred pages. Yeah, it is a lot of pages (I have an over-sized pressing of the book).
Sounds like a really open minded personLongstreet said:I felt the same way when I read it, many years ago now.Cinco Ranch Aggie said:
I always thought this was a comprehensive work on Nazi Germany. I read it for the first time roughly 5 years ago and was amazed at its readability given its massive size and the scope of the subject matter. I felt that it was a slow read over the first several hundred pages that were dedicated to Hitler's early history and the formation of the Nazis, but once Shirer turned his attention toward events that actually led to WWII and the events of the war itself, I flew through the remaining several hundred pages. Yeah, it is a lot of pages (I have an over-sized pressing of the book).
I was deep into a WW2 spell, had heard of Shirer's book, and when I came across a clean used copy at Second-Hand Books thought, "I ought to read this." I fully expected it to be long and dreary, and it was a bit tedious at first, but when it picked up steam it was engrossing. Shirer wrote well.
Funny story about that book. My copy was hardbound, still had the dust jacket, black with a big swastika in the white circle. I used to take books to work to read at break and lunch, and one morning as I was walking out one lady that I worked with saw it and asked "What kind of book is that?" in a tone like she had just watched me skin a kitten alive. I tried to explain to her that it was a history of Nazi Germany, written by a reporter who had lived through that era, but she said "You should NOT be reading those kinds of books!" and actually backed away from me, with a look of horror on her face.
She never spoke to me again.
EDIT: Third Reich Trilogy sounds interesting. Might have to check that out.
Longstreet said:I felt the same way when I read it, many years ago now.Cinco Ranch Aggie said:
I always thought this was a comprehensive work on Nazi Germany. I read it for the first time roughly 5 years ago and was amazed at its readability given its massive size and the scope of the subject matter. I felt that it was a slow read over the first several hundred pages that were dedicated to Hitler's early history and the formation of the Nazis, but once Shirer turned his attention toward events that actually led to WWII and the events of the war itself, I flew through the remaining several hundred pages. Yeah, it is a lot of pages (I have an over-sized pressing of the book).
I was deep into a WW2 spell, had heard of Shirer's book, and when I came across a clean used copy at Second-Hand Books thought, "I ought to read this." I fully expected it to be long and dreary, and it was a bit tedious at first, but when it picked up steam it was engrossing. Shirer wrote well.
Funny story about that book. My copy was hardbound, still had the dust jacket, black with a big swastika in the white circle. I used to take books to work to read at break and lunch, and one morning as I was walking out one lady that I worked with saw it and asked "What kind of book is that?" in a tone like she had just watched me skin a kitten alive. I tried to explain to her that it was a history of Nazi Germany, written by a reporter who had lived through that era, but she said "You should NOT be reading those kinds of books!" and actually backed away from me, with a look of horror on her face.
She never spoke to me again.
EDIT: Third Reich Trilogy sounds interesting. Might have to check that out.