August 2012 Featured Book
Hitlerland: American Eyewitnesses to the Nazi Rise to Power
by Andrew Nagorski '69
Andrew Nagorski has written an entertaining chronicle ... Hitlerland brings back to life some early delusions about Hitler's rise that now seem unthinkable. Any reader trying to puzzle out today's world will be unsettled by the reminder of how easy it is to get things wrong. - The Economist
- Learn more about the author (view alumni profile)
- Listen to the interview with Andrew Nagorski '69 and Doug Magee '69
- Read the Amherst review by Rand Richards Cooper '80
- Read an excerpt
- Join the discussion
Hitlerland, by Andrew Nagorski '69, tells the story of Hitler's rise to power and Germany's march to the abyss as seen through the eyes of the Americans--diplomats, military personnel, expats, journalists--who watched horrified and up close.
Some of the Americans in Germany were merely casual observers while others were deliberately blind. Most slowly began to understand the horror of what was unfolding, even when they found it difficult to grasp the breadth of the catastrophe. Observing Hitler and his movement up close, the most perceptive of these Americans helped their reluctant countrymen begin to understand the nature of Nazi Germany as it ruthlessly eliminated political opponents, instilled racial and religious hatred, and readied its military for a war of global domination.
By tapping a rich vein of personal testimonies, Nagorski offers a gripping narrative full of surprising twists--and a startlingly fresh perspective on this heavily dissected era.