The Shipwreck of A Nation by H. Peter Nennhaus

Product Description
This memoir portrays the attitudes of a nation caught in political crisis and devastating war. The author vividly recalls his youth in Berlin before and during WWII amidst political upheaval, love, hope, and terror. The reader witnesses the appalling tyranny of Stalin in the 1930s and learns of the Germans’ conviction that they were waging a righteous and desperate struggle against the Soviet empire. The impact of this upsetting story derives from aspects of that war, which hitherto have remained unknown or been misconceived and which cast the moral equation of that conflict into a more sober light. The reader will walk in German shoes and experience the full range of their emotions, beliefs, and thoughts. The understanding of the mood then prevailing in Europe is aided by scholarly chapters of historical data that weave through the narrative of childhood, war, and ruin. In exploring the enduring mystery surrounding the root causes of the two world wars and Germany's final destruction, the author reach thought-provoking conclusions. For those seeking to know what in reality transpired in the German soul during that period, this is one of only few, unbiased sources available.

My thoughts
THE SHIPWRECK OF A NATION by H. Peter Nennhaus is a study of how it was like to live as a German in Nazi Germany. He was a young boy when Hitler became chancellor and he explains how life changed while living in Berlin. Although, he wasn’t old enough to enter the military, he talks about his two brothers that fought in the war. He questions the disappearance of his Jewish friends, remembers bombing of the city and how the struggle for his family to survive. I have read books about the war and the Holocaust, but never from the eyes of a German. My grandmother lives in Germany and will not speak of what her life was like during this time, and after reading the book, I see why. This book showed me some insight on what was going on.