Adolf Hitler

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-Readers familiar with Heyes's Children of the Swastika (Millbrook, 1993) will recognize the format of this book. Here she sets the rise and fall of Adolf Hitler against the backdrop of economic and sociological conditions in Germany preceding and during World War II. A brief text incorporates biographical facts, political events, and military history. An onslaught of names, phrases, theories, and dates create thumbnail sketches, but a motivational, dictatorial Hitler controlling the German nation through the power of his personality does not materialize. A level of political acumen is necessary to discern his 1934 pact with Poland as a ``scam'' and to examine and evaluate the concept of ``collective guilt'' assigned to the German people as a whole. A smattering of black-and-white archival photos are included. Albert Marrin's Hitler (Viking, 1987) presents a more cohesive, in-depth analysis of his subject.-Joanne Kelleher, Commack Public Library, NY

Jeanne Triner

This easy-to-read, concise look at the life and motivations of Hitler focuses primarily on the question, How, in a civilized world, was this allowed to happen? Although it's certainly not an original query, Heyes does a nice job of weaving the threads of Hitler's childhood, the rise of the Nazi Party, Germany's resentment against the Versailles Treaty and desperate economic conditions, and the rest of the world's preoccupation with internal affairs and unwillingness to endure another war into the fabric of the Holocaust. Her matter-of-fact presentation of the events of history placed in their political and social context will leave young readers with the clear message that we must be ever vigilant lest history repeat itself. Although all the material seems to come from readily available secondary sources, this will be more appealing to young adults than many of the lengthier works. An excellent starting point for discussion of, or research on, Hitler and the Holocaust. Includes notes, a reading list, and a helpful detailed chronology.