30 December 2002 THE LIFE AND DEATH OF ADOLF HITLER by by James Cross Giblin, Clarion Books, April 2002

"...And it's one, two three, what are we fighting for?..."

--Country Joe & The Fish

If I had been born a few years earlier, or if the Vietnam War had dragged on a few more years, I might well be a Canadian resident today. As an active opponent of the War throughout high school I knew that I was heading north if my number came up.

I recall how my friend Jamie would blissfully smile and calmly insist--when pressed by a notably less pacifistic friend of ours--that even if someone had a gun pointed at his mother, he (Jamie) could not shoot that person. Golden-haired Jamie, who I idolized, was a year older than I and was similarly spared having to choose what to do because of the end of the Draft.

"...For I flew the final mission in the Japanese sky

Set off the mighty mushroom roar

When I saw the cities burning

I knew that I was learning

That I ain’t marchin’ anymore..."

--Phil Ochs

I read THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK as a child. Grew up in the era of nuclear tests. And I'd go to business parties during the late Sixties with my dad and converse with veterans of World War II who explained how different THAT war was. A significant portion of my friends and classmates throughout my Long Island childhood and adolescence were Jewish, some of whom had lost relatives during the Holocaust. Now I have a daughter who will be spending Spring Break visiting the country on which our nation dropped The Bomb. And while I couldn't take a life no matter what the circumstances, the never-ending horror of knowing what the Nazis perpetrated in those years--not very long before my own birth--has always made me wonder how I would have felt if I were an American teenager back then and knew what was going on.

Thus, I have always been very interested in literature that explores that time in history. This year has marked the American publication of a number of excellent young adult books to feed that desire:

POSTCARDS FROM NO MAN'S LAND for which British author Aidan Chambers won the Carnegie Medal in 2000 has been garnering further critical acclaim this year with its release here in the States. THE DIVINE WIND: A LOVE STORY, (http://richiespicks.com/users/stories/picks/the_divine_wind.html) which was shortlisted by the Children's Book Council of Australia a few years ago, also arrived in America this year. SOLDIER BOYS by Dean Hughes was a memorable read about two boys--one grown in America, the other raised a Hitler Youth--who march toward their fateful meeting as they learn what war is really all about. And in the YA novel WHEN MY NAME WAS KEOKO, last year's Newbery Medalist Linda Sue Park explores Japan's pre-war occupation of Korea. There is also LEFT FOR DEAD: A YOUNG MAN'S SEARCH FOR JUSTICE FOR THE USS INDIANAPOLIS (http://richiespicks.com/users/stories/picks/left_for_dead.html) which is an exceptional work of nonfiction regarding the ship that was sunk after delivering the bomb that the US dropped on Hiroshima.

"There are no memorials to Adolf Hitler in Germany, the country he ruled with an iron hand from 1933 to 1945."

So begins THE LIFE AND DEATH OF ADOLF HITLER by James Cross Giblin, a book that provides essential information for young adults who want to understand the twentieth century. In writing a detailed biography of the most infamous human being of the last hundred years, the author has put together a fascinating story that never lets up. In doing so, Mr. Giblin also provides a clear overview of the events leading up to and through the second world war. Beginning with the haunting cover, the book is illustrated with large, clear photographs of the significant people and places we encounter, as well as several well-drawn maps to which I'd periodically refer as I read the book.

"To celebrate his triumph, Hitler planned a sightseeing tour of Paris, a city he had long admired but never visited. His favorite architect, Albert Speer, accompanied the Führer as he visited the ornate Paris Opera, drove down the broad Champs Élysées, stopped at the Eiffel Tower, and lingered for a long time at the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte. The three-hour tour through almost completely deserted streets--the French deliberately stayed away--ended on the heights of Montmartre, long known as a district for artists. Perhaps its narrow streets and outdoor cafés reminded Hitler of his youthful days in Vienna, when he himself had dreamed of being an artist."

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF ADOLF HITLER does an exceptional job answering the questions of how Hitler was able to gain control of the German government, and how his forces and henchmen were able to succeed so horrifically and effectively before they were finally halted. We see how the long-term effects of the Versailles Treaty on Germany lead almost inevitably to the opportunity for Hitler's rise to power. We are reminded of the significant anti-Semitism in the US, Britain, and other countries that figured into their less-than-stellar response to Hitler's aggression and genocide. (I can remember how my friends' families still weren't welcome at some private clubs in the 60's!) And, of course, we see Hitler from birth to death: as a son, a student, an artist, a failure, and a homeless person who eventually finds a group in which to belong. Joining that organization, making it his, and changing the world forever--the lesson here is not lost on the author, who ends the book with a profile of some Neo-Nazi groups in existence today.

We also get a good look at many of the trustworthy men who turned Hitler's maniacal goals into reality:

"Neat and methodical, Himmler was a born bureaucrat. He worshiped Hitler and would carry out any order the Führer gave him, immediately and without question."

I thought that I knew all about Adolf Hitler. But from the vivid photograph of one of his watercolor paintings to the details of his final hours with Eva Braun and Joseph Goebbels, James Cross Giblin has illuminated the life of a madman and given me a real education.

Richie Partington

http://richiespicks.com

BudNotBuddy@aol.com