Giblin has written an accurate, objective biography of one of the most reviled men in history. He balances the accounts of his relentlessness and cruelty with those of his tender love and care for his mother. �Giblin offers an absorbing portrait of an enigmatic leader who loved dogs and opera but could also order the extermination of millions of innocent people.� (Publishers Weekly, April 1, 2002) The book reflects thorough research, and includes a careful accounting of all the steps leading to the unprecedented acceptance of a megalomaniac by an entire nation. The book has a table of contents with 25 titled chapters, a glossary of German words and terms that are used in the book, bibliography, source notes by chapter, and an alphabetical index.
Following an introductory chapter summarizing Hitler�s rise to power, the book is a chronological narrative of his life, from birth to death. The final chapter of the book, �Hitler Lives,� discusses the mystery surrounding his death and the influence he still has, evidenced by the neo-Nazi movement. Giblin is careful to show the cause to effect relationship between the humiliation of the Treaty of Versailles after World War I, and how it set the stage for someone like Hitler to rise to power. Rather than being coerced and bullied into accepting an all-powerful dictator, the German people embraced Hitler because he brought the country out of a crippling recession and restored their country to prosperity.
The book design suits its subject and format. The cover is a black and white, close-up head-shot of Hitler, and the red and gold lettering is done in a bold, serif-less font, accented by red end-papers. The book is richly illustrated with captioned photographs, political cartoons, and maps which effectively complement and clarify the text. More maps, with more detail, would have been a helpful tool in following the political and military action in the book. �The study cries out for much better maps; places like the Rhineland, Sudentenland, the Ruhr, to name a few, are mentioned in the text but not set in their geography-necessary in a time when young people seem to have little knowledge of the globe and its places and peoples.� (Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2002) Wide margins and amply spaced text enhance the book�s readability.
Giblin uses a clear, lively writing style, adopting many techniques found in fictional narrative writing. An example of this is found on page eight, where young Adolf is worried about what his father will think of his poor school grades. Giblin uses an ironic voice in describing the outcome: �What his father thought would soon cease to matter. On January 3, 1903, Alois Hitler stopped by the local inn for his morning glass of wine, complained of not feeling well, and dropped dead at his table.� He used Hitler�s temporary blindness, after suffering an attack of mustard gas, as a metaphor for the darkness that enveloped the country. �It had grown dark for Germany, too. As Hitler was being treated for his temporary blindness . . .the country was collapsing into chaos.� (p. 23) Giblin magnifies the horror of Hitler�s �purges� by contrasting it with the laissez-faire attitude the German citizenry had toward what was going on. �Relatively few people in Germany were affected by the purge. Most of them went about the usual activities of a summer weekend, sunning themselves on the shores of lakes and strolling with their families in city parks. And when the official account of the purge was published in the Monday newspapers, the majority of Germans were glad to hear that the powers of the SA had been curbed.� (p. 86)
This cross-over book can be enjoyed by children as well as adults. Although the infamous Hitler has been the subject of many adult books, this is a ground-breaking biography in the field of children�s nonfiction, and a must for every young adult collection. �It takes courage to write fairly about the person who perpetuated almost certainly the most suffering and misery in the 20th century, and Giblin accepts this mantle and bears it nobly.� (School Library Journal, May 1, 2002)
Source
Books in Print [database online]. Available from http://booksinprint.com. Accessed 21 February 05.
Awards for The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award (2003)
ALA Notable Books for Children (2003)
Related Sites
The Rise of Adolf Hitler
Holocaust Museum
James Cross Giblin
School of Library and Information Studies
TEXAS WOMAN'S UNIVERSITY