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On Hitler's Mountain: Overcoming the Legacy of a Nazi Childhood
A powerful and riveting account of a seemingly halcyon life lived mere paces from a center of evil and madness; a remarkable memoir of an "ordinary" childhood spent in an extraordinary time and place.
On Hitler's Mountain is a powerful, intimate, riveting, and revealing account of a seemingly halcyon life lived mere paces from a center of evil and madness; a remarkable memoir of an "ordinary" childhood spent in an extraordinary time and place.
Born in 1934, Irmgard Hunt grew up in the picturesque Bavarian village of Berchtesgaden, in the shadow of the Eagle's Nest and near Adolf Hitler's luxurious alpine retreat. The very model of blond Aryan "purity," Irmgard sat on the Führer's knee for photographers, witnessed with excitement the comings and goings of all manner of famous personages, and with the blindness of a child accepted the Nazi doctrine that most of her family and everyone around her so eagerly embraced. Here, in a picture-postcard world untouched by the war and seemingly unblemished by the horrors Germany's master had wrought, she accepted the lies of her teachers and church and civic leaders, joined the Hitler Youth at age ten, and joyfully sang the songs extolling the virtues of National Socialism.
But before the end -- when she and other children would be forced to cower in terror in dank bomb shelters and wartime deprivations would take a harrowing toll -- Irmgard's doubts about the "truths" she had been force-fed increased, fueled by the few brave souls who had not accepted Hitler and his abominations. After the fall of the brutal dictatorship and the suicide of its mad architect, many of her neighbors and loved ones still clung to their beliefs, prejudices, denial, and unacknowledged guilt. Irmgard, often feeling lonely in her quest, was determined to face the truth of her country's criminal past and to bear the responsibility for an almost unbearable reality that most of her elders were determined to forget. She resolved even then that the lessons of her youth would guide her actions and steel her commitment to defend the freedoms and democratic values that had been so easily dismissed by the German people.
Provocative and astonishing, Irmgard A. Hunt's On Hitler's Mountain offers a unique, gripping, and vitally important first-person perspective on a tumultuous era in modern history, as viewed through the eyes of a child -- a candid and fascinating document, free of rationalization and whitewash, that chronicles the devastating moral collapse of a civilized nation.
On Hitler's Mountain is a powerful, intimate, riveting, and revealing account of a seemingly halcyon life lived mere paces from a center of evil and madness; a remarkable memoir of an "ordinary" childhood spent in an extraordinary time and place.
Born in 1934, Irmgard Hunt grew up in the picturesque Bavarian village of Berchtesgaden, in the shadow of the Eagle's Nest and near Adolf Hitler's luxurious alpine retreat. The very model of blond Aryan "purity," Irmgard sat on the Führer's knee for photographers, witnessed with excitement the comings and goings of all manner of famous personages, and with the blindness of a child accepted the Nazi doctrine that most of her family and everyone around her so eagerly embraced. Here, in a picture-postcard world untouched by the war and seemingly unblemished by the horrors Germany's master had wrought, she accepted the lies of her teachers and church and civic leaders, joined the Hitler Youth at age ten, and joyfully sang the songs extolling the virtues of National Socialism.
But before the end -- when she and other children would be forced to cower in terror in dank bomb shelters and wartime deprivations would take a harrowing toll -- Irmgard's doubts about the "truths" she had been force-fed increased, fueled by the few brave souls who had not accepted Hitler and his abominations. After the fall of the brutal dictatorship and the suicide of its mad architect, many of her neighbors and loved ones still clung to their beliefs, prejudices, denial, and unacknowledged guilt. Irmgard, often feeling lonely in her quest, was determined to face the truth of her country's criminal past and to bear the responsibility for an almost unbearable reality that most of her elders were determined to forget. She resolved even then that the lessons of her youth would guide her actions and steel her commitment to defend the freedoms and democratic values that had been so easily dismissed by the German people.
Provocative and astonishing, Irmgard A. Hunt's On Hitler's Mountain offers a unique, gripping, and vitally important first-person perspective on a tumultuous era in modern history, as viewed through the eyes of a child -- a candid and fascinating document, free of rationalization and whitewash, that chronicles the devastating moral collapse of a civilized nation.
278 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2005
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March 2, 2024
The author was born in Upper Bavaria in 1934 to parents who voted for Hitler when he ran for Chancellor. Her father dropped his membership in the party but was killed in France early in the war. Her mother remained a Nazi supporter and firm nationalist. Early in the author’s life they moved to Berchtesgaden where she, her mother and sister lived for the remainder of the war. Hull wrote this book later in life as a naturalized U.S. citizen.
Berchtesgaden of course, is at the foot of homes associated with Hitler—the Berghof and even higher up, The Eagle’s Nest. For anyone surviving the war in Germany, it’s been a lasting burden to have supported the insanity of the Nazi party. I’ve read other books on the subject and it remains inexplicable. Of course this is the memoir of a childhood and her memory of a mother who really can’t be seen in a completely sympathetic way. The adults claim to have had a very limited knowledge of Jews and what happened during the holocaust. The adult Irmgard tries without too much success to make her mother, relatives and neighbor’s behavior understandable. Yes, they struggled to survive the 1930’s and 40’s. Once Hitler was in power it would have been unsafe to speak out about war and politics. Still, how was early support so acceptable to these farmers and vacation business people. Irrational, ugly racism and taking territory was always a major component of Hitler’s thinking.
The author describes a number of obsessive nazi sympathizers among her teachers, local businessmen and politicians, people who gained by currying favor. The book is interesting in that it shows a lot about daily life and a little about the nazis uphill from life down below. Eventually things fall apart and there are Americans among them. The author was probably more than a little unsure of how to explain things. How to explain the unholy decimation of jews in Germany and in the places Germany conquered? The adults bemoan their suffering but give little to no thought about what their military did to others.
The book is very readable but doesn’t provide anything particularly new about ordinary Germans at the time. The child cannot be blamed and it is difficult to whitewash the behavior of the adults. Fortunately, Hunt doesn’t try too hard.
Berchtesgaden of course, is at the foot of homes associated with Hitler—the Berghof and even higher up, The Eagle’s Nest. For anyone surviving the war in Germany, it’s been a lasting burden to have supported the insanity of the Nazi party. I’ve read other books on the subject and it remains inexplicable. Of course this is the memoir of a childhood and her memory of a mother who really can’t be seen in a completely sympathetic way. The adults claim to have had a very limited knowledge of Jews and what happened during the holocaust. The adult Irmgard tries without too much success to make her mother, relatives and neighbor’s behavior understandable. Yes, they struggled to survive the 1930’s and 40’s. Once Hitler was in power it would have been unsafe to speak out about war and politics. Still, how was early support so acceptable to these farmers and vacation business people. Irrational, ugly racism and taking territory was always a major component of Hitler’s thinking.
The author describes a number of obsessive nazi sympathizers among her teachers, local businessmen and politicians, people who gained by currying favor. The book is interesting in that it shows a lot about daily life and a little about the nazis uphill from life down below. Eventually things fall apart and there are Americans among them. The author was probably more than a little unsure of how to explain things. How to explain the unholy decimation of jews in Germany and in the places Germany conquered? The adults bemoan their suffering but give little to no thought about what their military did to others.
The book is very readable but doesn’t provide anything particularly new about ordinary Germans at the time. The child cannot be blamed and it is difficult to whitewash the behavior of the adults. Fortunately, Hunt doesn’t try too hard.
April 18, 2013
The memoir of a girl from a very ordinary German family who, as a child, grew up in a house quite near one of Hitler's residences in Germany. She actually met him when she was three or so, and got photographed sitting on his lap. And many times she saw him and his entourage driving past her house.
Neither of Hunt's parents were fanatical Nazis by any means, but they both helped vote Hitler into power. And, after reading Hunt's description of the chaos and despair of the Weimar Republic, I didn't blame them a bit. In fact, I found myself thinking, with a bit of horror, "I might have voted for the guy too." I HATE IT when I find myself empathizing in that way; it makes me feel very uncomfortable.
Irmgard's father was drafted into the German Army and ultimately killed in France. After his death, her mother began to feel differently about the Nazi regime, but she never actively opposed it. Then, after the war, everyone had to deal with the aftermath of what happened.
I think it's important for everyone to understand why stuff like Nazi Germany happened, and what it's like for a normal person to live under a tyrannical regime. This is a well-written book that accomplishes both of those aims.
Neither of Hunt's parents were fanatical Nazis by any means, but they both helped vote Hitler into power. And, after reading Hunt's description of the chaos and despair of the Weimar Republic, I didn't blame them a bit. In fact, I found myself thinking, with a bit of horror, "I might have voted for the guy too." I HATE IT when I find myself empathizing in that way; it makes me feel very uncomfortable.
Irmgard's father was drafted into the German Army and ultimately killed in France. After his death, her mother began to feel differently about the Nazi regime, but she never actively opposed it. Then, after the war, everyone had to deal with the aftermath of what happened.
I think it's important for everyone to understand why stuff like Nazi Germany happened, and what it's like for a normal person to live under a tyrannical regime. This is a well-written book that accomplishes both of those aims.
September 23, 2016
The book is an easy and natural read. It provides an honest view of one of the most painful periods in history. Irmgard does not over-analyse in the book on how the Nazi movement gained popular support, rather allowing the reader to form their opinions based on the events she describes. As I read through the book, I realize that this period in history still has lessons, not all of which has been learnt for good.
Irmgard Hunt was born in 1934, and hence was still in school during the war. The book starts with her describing her family starting from her grandparents. She describes her early childhood in good detail. It was the time when Hitler was at the height of his popularity. She has two younger sisters. As with most others, her parents were supporters as well. Her grandfather though was extremely critical and hated Hitler. Ironically he was a steadfast opponent most of his life, but briefly joined the Nazi party in 1944, a few months before the war ended since he was not getting any work (wood work) and thought this was the only way to avoid starvation.
As she grows up, Irmgard does what all others do - believe literally all that her teachers, parents, and others say. Those who have doubts are few (like her grandfather), and there is as she points out “the middle class curse of political passivity, fear of chaos, a wrongly placed trust in law and order”. National pride and patriotism, and the way they are understood by many do not help matters. Her family’s proudest moment during that time was when she sat on Hitler’s lap for a few seconds. With an organized program to tap into national pride, and systematically root out dissent, supporting the establishment was the popular mood.
The later part of the book describes the difficulties of the war leading to severe economic troubles with obtaining a full meal for the family being difficult. Her father serving in the armed forces dies. Germany loses the war and her area is occupied by American forces. This is followed by revelations of the full extent of the crimes of the Nazi regime during the Nuremberg trials. Though there are mentions of crimes by occupying forces (considered natural), there are also tales of friendly forces who help the locals recoup their lives. A sense of confusion and disquiet hits people who find that they now have to question the beliefs they held. Subsequently, Irmgard Hunt moves to the US, many years after the war ends. Irmgard Hunt visits Germany after many years to see a nation changed, and free thinking youngsters trying to understand the past that was.
During the course of the book you will find important questions speak from its pages. It is not Irmgard Hunt who provides text book answers to these however, leaving you with the need to understand and analyse yourself.
There is this good passage towards the end of the book. “Could the US ever become a dictatorship?” asks Irmgard’s mother. “Never”, she replies, and tries to explain why, “This is the oldest democracy there is. Even in bad times there are open and fair elections and orderly transitions to any new government.” Her mother wonders “If there were a bad economic downturn or perhaps a war with the Soviets, Americans too might accept a leader who promised to save them and the fatherland. We did not know how fast Hitler would change everything once he was chancellor. But he did.”
There is also a good quote in the back cover of the book, “Compelling. I came away with a deeply disquieting sense of how easy it is to be swept along on a popular mood….how quickly the monstrous can become normal.” – Marina Lewycka, author of ‘A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian’.
The book offers a good first person perspective, and yes – certainly makes you think, as good books do.
Irmgard Hunt was born in 1934, and hence was still in school during the war. The book starts with her describing her family starting from her grandparents. She describes her early childhood in good detail. It was the time when Hitler was at the height of his popularity. She has two younger sisters. As with most others, her parents were supporters as well. Her grandfather though was extremely critical and hated Hitler. Ironically he was a steadfast opponent most of his life, but briefly joined the Nazi party in 1944, a few months before the war ended since he was not getting any work (wood work) and thought this was the only way to avoid starvation.
As she grows up, Irmgard does what all others do - believe literally all that her teachers, parents, and others say. Those who have doubts are few (like her grandfather), and there is as she points out “the middle class curse of political passivity, fear of chaos, a wrongly placed trust in law and order”. National pride and patriotism, and the way they are understood by many do not help matters. Her family’s proudest moment during that time was when she sat on Hitler’s lap for a few seconds. With an organized program to tap into national pride, and systematically root out dissent, supporting the establishment was the popular mood.
The later part of the book describes the difficulties of the war leading to severe economic troubles with obtaining a full meal for the family being difficult. Her father serving in the armed forces dies. Germany loses the war and her area is occupied by American forces. This is followed by revelations of the full extent of the crimes of the Nazi regime during the Nuremberg trials. Though there are mentions of crimes by occupying forces (considered natural), there are also tales of friendly forces who help the locals recoup their lives. A sense of confusion and disquiet hits people who find that they now have to question the beliefs they held. Subsequently, Irmgard Hunt moves to the US, many years after the war ends. Irmgard Hunt visits Germany after many years to see a nation changed, and free thinking youngsters trying to understand the past that was.
During the course of the book you will find important questions speak from its pages. It is not Irmgard Hunt who provides text book answers to these however, leaving you with the need to understand and analyse yourself.
There is this good passage towards the end of the book. “Could the US ever become a dictatorship?” asks Irmgard’s mother. “Never”, she replies, and tries to explain why, “This is the oldest democracy there is. Even in bad times there are open and fair elections and orderly transitions to any new government.” Her mother wonders “If there were a bad economic downturn or perhaps a war with the Soviets, Americans too might accept a leader who promised to save them and the fatherland. We did not know how fast Hitler would change everything once he was chancellor. But he did.”
There is also a good quote in the back cover of the book, “Compelling. I came away with a deeply disquieting sense of how easy it is to be swept along on a popular mood….how quickly the monstrous can become normal.” – Marina Lewycka, author of ‘A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian’.
The book offers a good first person perspective, and yes – certainly makes you think, as good books do.
May 7, 2017
Irmgard Hunt lived right up on the mountains in Berchtesgaden and lived through the Nazi years as Hitler's neighbour. However, in spite of this (or perhaps because of it?), she was kept safe and away from most of the trouble that the Nazis and the war were causing. Born one year after Hitler came to power, Irmgard herself rarely encountered daily hassles until the very end of the war when they faced intense bombing. In fact, she was shocked when they took a trip to her grandparents' and saw the city bombed out. That's how sheltered she was.
Most of the book is restructured from her mother's diary and from talking to other people in her life who were older and remembered more. There is actually very little in the book in terms of pretty much anything to do with the war or the Nazis, especially in the first three parts of the book. Her parents supported Hitler because they believed he would bring stability, but they were not fanatic Nazis - they did not denounce anyone, they did not indoctrinate their children forcefully, they did not hate the Jews. All they did was look the other way and hope for stability after the chaos of the 1920s - certainly a contributing factor to the Nazi hold but not very interesting or useful in terms of a book.
The author goes into far too much detail about the mountains and its beauty and daily life, her chores, her family, her neighbours, etc. There are a couple of places where it does get interesting and emotional, such as when sending off her father to war where he dies. There is another incident where she almost denounces her anti-Nazi maternal grandfather. But apart from a few rare instances like these, the book mostly just talks about random daily life stuff.
The last one fourth of the book is life immediately after the war, which I found rather interesting. During this time, the author was old enough to actually put across her memories of the time in detail and flesh out the nuances. But there was not much about overcoming a 'Nazi childhood' because really, other than joining Hitler Youth and playing games, she did not have much of a Nazi childhood at all! The best part is how she and her mother toured Eagle's Nest and how she scavenged the supplies of the prominent Nazis right after the war.
I don't think this is the best book about a Nazi family. Her mother, if she had written a book, would have been interesting because she had the actual experiences and knowledge of what being a Nazi meant and why she would overlook certain things that were taking place around her. But she didn't and the daughter's account is just too superficial. I also found the tone a bit preachy about how Germans must all carry a collective guilt, even those who stood up against the Nazis or merely paid lip service in order to avoid intense persecution. That's just ridiculous. Was she expecting people to risk going to concentration camp so little Irmgard could think well of them? The pro-America yammering in the epilogue was very annoying to me.
If you know nothing about this time at all, then this book is good. Otherwise, I am sure there are better memoirs with more direct information.
Most of the book is restructured from her mother's diary and from talking to other people in her life who were older and remembered more. There is actually very little in the book in terms of pretty much anything to do with the war or the Nazis, especially in the first three parts of the book. Her parents supported Hitler because they believed he would bring stability, but they were not fanatic Nazis - they did not denounce anyone, they did not indoctrinate their children forcefully, they did not hate the Jews. All they did was look the other way and hope for stability after the chaos of the 1920s - certainly a contributing factor to the Nazi hold but not very interesting or useful in terms of a book.
The author goes into far too much detail about the mountains and its beauty and daily life, her chores, her family, her neighbours, etc. There are a couple of places where it does get interesting and emotional, such as when sending off her father to war where he dies. There is another incident where she almost denounces her anti-Nazi maternal grandfather. But apart from a few rare instances like these, the book mostly just talks about random daily life stuff.
The last one fourth of the book is life immediately after the war, which I found rather interesting. During this time, the author was old enough to actually put across her memories of the time in detail and flesh out the nuances. But there was not much about overcoming a 'Nazi childhood' because really, other than joining Hitler Youth and playing games, she did not have much of a Nazi childhood at all! The best part is how she and her mother toured Eagle's Nest and how she scavenged the supplies of the prominent Nazis right after the war.
I don't think this is the best book about a Nazi family. Her mother, if she had written a book, would have been interesting because she had the actual experiences and knowledge of what being a Nazi meant and why she would overlook certain things that were taking place around her. But she didn't and the daughter's account is just too superficial. I also found the tone a bit preachy about how Germans must all carry a collective guilt, even those who stood up against the Nazis or merely paid lip service in order to avoid intense persecution. That's just ridiculous. Was she expecting people to risk going to concentration camp so little Irmgard could think well of them? The pro-America yammering in the epilogue was very annoying to me.
If you know nothing about this time at all, then this book is good. Otherwise, I am sure there are better memoirs with more direct information.
January 31, 2022
I rarely award five stars. Four indicates what I consider an objectively excellent product, five one that's both objectively and subjectively impressive.
My mother grew up in Oslo under Nazi occupation while my dad, her American cousin, fought against them. Irmgard Hunt also grew up under the Nazis, indeed, under the very mountain upon which Hitler dwelled. This is an account of that, from sitting on his lap, aged three, to 'liberation' under the Americans, and, finally, to a retrospective from her life today as a political activist in the United States.
I've read several war memoirs by women, finding them more attuned than the average male writer to the quotidian aspects of war, of the fear, the concerns for shelter, warmth, clothing and food. This one, mostly of childhood memories, adds to this the further dimension of age and some insight into the processes, overt and subtle, of indoctrination.
So impressed was I by this memoir that I immediately gave it to my sole customer here at Heirloom Books, a woman currently studying at Loyola University, with the extorted promise that she read it before the beginning of the next semester. I hope she sees fit to pass it on herself.
My mother grew up in Oslo under Nazi occupation while my dad, her American cousin, fought against them. Irmgard Hunt also grew up under the Nazis, indeed, under the very mountain upon which Hitler dwelled. This is an account of that, from sitting on his lap, aged three, to 'liberation' under the Americans, and, finally, to a retrospective from her life today as a political activist in the United States.
I've read several war memoirs by women, finding them more attuned than the average male writer to the quotidian aspects of war, of the fear, the concerns for shelter, warmth, clothing and food. This one, mostly of childhood memories, adds to this the further dimension of age and some insight into the processes, overt and subtle, of indoctrination.
So impressed was I by this memoir that I immediately gave it to my sole customer here at Heirloom Books, a woman currently studying at Loyola University, with the extorted promise that she read it before the beginning of the next semester. I hope she sees fit to pass it on herself.
August 4, 2011
NO SPOILERS!!!
The little I tell you is not enough to spoil the book!
I am just giving you enough to taste it.
I have finished the book. It will get four stars. It concludes with an intimate analysis of how many Germans felt before, during and after WW2.You have come to know the members of the family. It is thourgh these people whom you know that you come to understand how and why Germans responded differerntly to the end of the war. Some with guilt and shame. Some with anger. Some with pure relief. Some in fact with hope! I like that the opposing points of views are portrayed through the family members. By the end of the book you know who they are, you know what each has experienced and so you do understand how they can emerge from their common experiences differently. If you want to understand WW2 from the German perspective, read this book. Get this edition which has marvellous pictures. They really do enrich the reading experience.
I was going to give you more excerpts to demonstrate how well the historical events are tied into personal events, but I am too lazy.
I doubt I will read Erik Larson's book, In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin. I believe this book to be superior, but I am just guessing.
Please read my thoughts below if you are curious about the author's style of writing and the themes focused upon in the beginning of the book.
**************************************
Through 93 pages: Why is everyone reading Erik Larson's In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin when you could choose this instead? This is a memoir about the author's childhood in Berchtesgaden, Germany. This is a small village next door to Obersalzberg where Hitler had his retreat. The area is in southern Germany, Bavaria to be exact. One easily walked between their home and Hitlers retreat. Hitler's presence was a given. They in fact fel.t safe, guarded by Hitler's SS. She sat on Hitler's lap when she was three. Look at the cover of the book. That is the author with the white blonde hair happily prouncing the "Heil Hitler" greeting. Look at the sparkle in her eyes. It does make you shiver the contrast between her youthful happiness and what the greeting represents. This book is about the author's youth, about her parents and her grandparents. It is about why the Germans brought into power Hitler. It is important to understand so such does not happen again. So why read Larson's when you have this true story abut a German family which shows why they voted for Hitler and why they made the choices they made. No, the theme is not about Dodd, but it is about what lead up to Hitler's reign and what follwed for the German people after the war. You see all of this from a German point of view. I always get a bit annoyed when one book gets all the acclaim and others, with authors perhaps less well-known, are not brought to attention.
However a book must be properly composed if it is to get acclaim, and this is. The book should have maps andpictures if it is based on fact. This book has maps that in fact show all the towns and places mentioned in the text. The map is actulally readable. Bad maps are more annoying sometimes than no maps. The maps are excellent here. They show regions that no longer exist, for example Pomerania. And this book has lots of pictures. Pictures of cities and people and marriage registration booklets, of wedding portraits. Pictures of Hitler and his retreat. I really enjoy seeing the pictures. You see Irmgard with her sister Ingrid playing in a sandbox, actually a grocer's crate filled with sand from a mountain stream. A sandbox that IS a box of sand. And the kids are so cute. Just through the pictures you get a peephole into thier lives.
Then of course the text must be good, for a book to be good. the story must be clear, engaging and interesting, not filled with dry facts of no interest. A book must be properly edited. I like the choice of facts included in the text. I want to know why the Gerlmans thought Hitler was their answer to progress. The author's grandparents and parents lived through WW1, the German defeat, the inflation of the 1920s, and then to top it all of the Depression hit them too. "By November 15, 1923, the high point of the infaltion, one US dollar equaled 4;200,000,000,000 reichsmarks." (page 22) When Irmgard parents worked they had to rush out at lunch and buy some food or else their money would not be enough by the end of the day for a loaf of bread and drink. The Germans sought someone to make them proud again of being German. A leader who would create jobs and salaries that brought food home to the tables. All of this is described through Irmgard's parents and granparent life events. You see why her parents adored Hitler and saw him as a leader toward a better future.
the book also shows you through the author's life how she felt growing up during the first years of Hitler's chancellorship. Irmgard's parents were married in 1933. Irmgard was born May 28, 1934. Her older sister was born three years later in 1937. And of course she was named Ingrid. Ingrid was one of the popular German names designated by Hitler. Here follows a quote about Irmgard's first year and the firt time she was confronted with growing anti-Semitism, although she was too young to recognize it for what it was:
Among the little boys and girls who came to play with me was Ruth Ungerer/ She had been born a week before me in a house up the road, even though I had been expected first. The two young mothers competed fiercely over the babies development, comparing the first smile, first word, first steps, and progress of potty training. Ruthchen (little Ruthy) had a headful of hair from the day she was born, whereas I, mch to Mutti's concern, had none until I was a year old. Rutchen was a constant presence in my very early life, so I was amazed when Mutti told me one day that Ruthchen was no longer Ruth but Ingrid - one of the most favored German names. "Ruth is a Jewish name," Mutti explained without obvious malice in her voice "and with her father joining the border police (he had been a barber) it is better for her not to have a Jewish name." I had no idea what Jewish was, but it could not be good if you had to give up your name because of it. The Ungerer family was moved to Austria quickly, making it impossible for me to remember my playmate by any other name than Ruthchen until we met again. (page 55)
What you learn is how it was to be a German child in Germany at this time. She was baptized as a Lutheran. She saw how her parents idolized Hitler. She also saw how her mother's parents, particularly her maternal grandfather, abhored Hitler. This was fought out within the family. It did happen that a hole was ounched through a wall when disagreements became overheated. You see her questioning the adults around her. Not all Germans agreed that Hitler was their saviour. You also learn how Hitler changed the holidays, names, festivals, religions... You name it. He made changes in everything, even down to what Christmas cookies should be baked and how Santa Claus dressed and when he came with presents. A good book must make the story interesting. This one does.
The little I tell you is not enough to spoil the book!
I am just giving you enough to taste it.
I have finished the book. It will get four stars. It concludes with an intimate analysis of how many Germans felt before, during and after WW2.You have come to know the members of the family. It is thourgh these people whom you know that you come to understand how and why Germans responded differerntly to the end of the war. Some with guilt and shame. Some with anger. Some with pure relief. Some in fact with hope! I like that the opposing points of views are portrayed through the family members. By the end of the book you know who they are, you know what each has experienced and so you do understand how they can emerge from their common experiences differently. If you want to understand WW2 from the German perspective, read this book. Get this edition which has marvellous pictures. They really do enrich the reading experience.
I was going to give you more excerpts to demonstrate how well the historical events are tied into personal events, but I am too lazy.
I doubt I will read Erik Larson's book, In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin. I believe this book to be superior, but I am just guessing.
Please read my thoughts below if you are curious about the author's style of writing and the themes focused upon in the beginning of the book.
**************************************
Through 93 pages: Why is everyone reading Erik Larson's In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin when you could choose this instead? This is a memoir about the author's childhood in Berchtesgaden, Germany. This is a small village next door to Obersalzberg where Hitler had his retreat. The area is in southern Germany, Bavaria to be exact. One easily walked between their home and Hitlers retreat. Hitler's presence was a given. They in fact fel.t safe, guarded by Hitler's SS. She sat on Hitler's lap when she was three. Look at the cover of the book. That is the author with the white blonde hair happily prouncing the "Heil Hitler" greeting. Look at the sparkle in her eyes. It does make you shiver the contrast between her youthful happiness and what the greeting represents. This book is about the author's youth, about her parents and her grandparents. It is about why the Germans brought into power Hitler. It is important to understand so such does not happen again. So why read Larson's when you have this true story abut a German family which shows why they voted for Hitler and why they made the choices they made. No, the theme is not about Dodd, but it is about what lead up to Hitler's reign and what follwed for the German people after the war. You see all of this from a German point of view. I always get a bit annoyed when one book gets all the acclaim and others, with authors perhaps less well-known, are not brought to attention.
However a book must be properly composed if it is to get acclaim, and this is. The book should have maps andpictures if it is based on fact. This book has maps that in fact show all the towns and places mentioned in the text. The map is actulally readable. Bad maps are more annoying sometimes than no maps. The maps are excellent here. They show regions that no longer exist, for example Pomerania. And this book has lots of pictures. Pictures of cities and people and marriage registration booklets, of wedding portraits. Pictures of Hitler and his retreat. I really enjoy seeing the pictures. You see Irmgard with her sister Ingrid playing in a sandbox, actually a grocer's crate filled with sand from a mountain stream. A sandbox that IS a box of sand. And the kids are so cute. Just through the pictures you get a peephole into thier lives.
Then of course the text must be good, for a book to be good. the story must be clear, engaging and interesting, not filled with dry facts of no interest. A book must be properly edited. I like the choice of facts included in the text. I want to know why the Gerlmans thought Hitler was their answer to progress. The author's grandparents and parents lived through WW1, the German defeat, the inflation of the 1920s, and then to top it all of the Depression hit them too. "By November 15, 1923, the high point of the infaltion, one US dollar equaled 4;200,000,000,000 reichsmarks." (page 22) When Irmgard parents worked they had to rush out at lunch and buy some food or else their money would not be enough by the end of the day for a loaf of bread and drink. The Germans sought someone to make them proud again of being German. A leader who would create jobs and salaries that brought food home to the tables. All of this is described through Irmgard's parents and granparent life events. You see why her parents adored Hitler and saw him as a leader toward a better future.
the book also shows you through the author's life how she felt growing up during the first years of Hitler's chancellorship. Irmgard's parents were married in 1933. Irmgard was born May 28, 1934. Her older sister was born three years later in 1937. And of course she was named Ingrid. Ingrid was one of the popular German names designated by Hitler. Here follows a quote about Irmgard's first year and the firt time she was confronted with growing anti-Semitism, although she was too young to recognize it for what it was:
Among the little boys and girls who came to play with me was Ruth Ungerer/ She had been born a week before me in a house up the road, even though I had been expected first. The two young mothers competed fiercely over the babies development, comparing the first smile, first word, first steps, and progress of potty training. Ruthchen (little Ruthy) had a headful of hair from the day she was born, whereas I, mch to Mutti's concern, had none until I was a year old. Rutchen was a constant presence in my very early life, so I was amazed when Mutti told me one day that Ruthchen was no longer Ruth but Ingrid - one of the most favored German names. "Ruth is a Jewish name," Mutti explained without obvious malice in her voice "and with her father joining the border police (he had been a barber) it is better for her not to have a Jewish name." I had no idea what Jewish was, but it could not be good if you had to give up your name because of it. The Ungerer family was moved to Austria quickly, making it impossible for me to remember my playmate by any other name than Ruthchen until we met again. (page 55)
What you learn is how it was to be a German child in Germany at this time. She was baptized as a Lutheran. She saw how her parents idolized Hitler. She also saw how her mother's parents, particularly her maternal grandfather, abhored Hitler. This was fought out within the family. It did happen that a hole was ounched through a wall when disagreements became overheated. You see her questioning the adults around her. Not all Germans agreed that Hitler was their saviour. You also learn how Hitler changed the holidays, names, festivals, religions... You name it. He made changes in everything, even down to what Christmas cookies should be baked and how Santa Claus dressed and when he came with presents. A good book must make the story interesting. This one does.
June 27, 2008
This is a well-written memoir of a Nazi childhood, the fall of Germany during WWII, and the aftermath. Rather than coming off like a big act of catharsis, this book seems more like an urgent warning to the reader about the dangers of blind patriotism, not questioning authority and internalizing government propaganda. Irmgard Hunt steps through daily life in Berchtesgaden, her home town, which happened to be directly below Hitler's mountain headquarters. The book contains fascinating detail about Germany at the time, and what living as part of fanatical tyranny looks and feels like. She tells us what it was like to be a "Good German," and the slow, cognitive meltdown that took place in the minds of Hitler's supporters, herself included, as Germany simultaneously exploded and imploded. This is the book in which you can learn things like how it felt to be a little girl having to decide whether it's The Right Thing To Do to turn your own Grandfather in to a Nazi informer (your grade school teacher) for being privately critical of the government. Or what it was like to be shamed for not properly performing the Hitler salute. However, Hunt doesn't seek pity, or forgiveness, or attempt to excuse herself or the German people during the period (not much, anyway). Her purpose is to whip up a series of portraits of Nazi Germany before, during, and right after WWII, as clear as she can make them, for us to see the ominous parallels to our own modern political environment right here in America. "On Hitler's Mountain" is a very timely book. It has an appendix with an author Q&A, in which Hunt is asked the question, "Could a Hitler happen here?" I don't think it's much of a spoiler when I tell you her answer is, yes.
August 22, 2011
http://em-and-emm.blogspot.com/2011/0...
When it comes to memoirs relating to WWII history, the selection seems to be largely dominated by Holocaust survivors or by writing from the Pacific side of the war. For me, at least, it was easy to forget about the general population of Germany, since most of the attention goes to the Nazis or to the people who suffered under them. Irmgard Hunt, the author of this memoir, was born in 1934, the year after Adolf Hitler was elected Chancellor of Germany. She was born in Berchtesgaden, a town in southeastern Germany that is infamous as being Hitler's home and his base of operations. Irmgard was born to parents who had both suffered greatly in the difficult years following WWI. Because of their difficulties in their youth, Irmgard's parents were both easily persuaded to vote for Hitler in 1933, and to support him in the following years. Because of her proximity to Hitler's home, Irmgard was always aware of Hitler's presence; once, when she was a small child, she even sat on his knee when he spotted her at a parade. As Germany eventually found itself at war with the Allies, Irmgard's happy early childhood changed. Her father was called away to war, and was killed in France. Irmgard goes on to describe what it was like being an everyday German during the war, during the years of rationing and air raids and increasing Nazi brutality directed at Irmgard's family and friends.
This is definitely not a memoir intended to explain the national psychology of Germany, or to explain how it was that Hitler was able to gain, and maintain, such power over the people. It certainly wasn't intended to justify the actions of the German people. Mostly it was intended as a snapshot of what day-to-day life was like for the average citizen of Germany... what school was like, what kind of jobs people had, and how the war impacted their lives. For Irmgard, the war meant that there was not enough food on the table, and it meant that she had to fear for the life of her vocally anti-Hitler grandfather, and after the war, she had to face the new information of what had been happening during the war (many of the Nazi's actions were not disclosed to the public during the war years). There was also the lingering guilt over the fact that her father had given his life for what turned out to be an awful, awful cause.
Since the memoir is written by a woman who was a young child during the years in question, I suspect that there was some degree of artistic latitude taken with the details, but I still found this to be a remarkably honest, open book that was very illuminating for me. The author doesn't try to justify her country's actions, and she doesn't try to get pity or sympathy from the reader. It certainly emphasized that in most wars, neither side is 100% good or evil. Irmgard's father, in many ways a perfectly decent man, went to war not because he hated Jews or because he wanted to kill French people, but simply because he was drafted into the Army. And in the days after the war, Irmgard witnessed a group of American soldiers gang-raping a German teenager. Irmgard herself admits to doing some things she wasn't proud of... through peer pressure, she once verbally taunted a Jewish family, and she enthusiastically joined the Hitler Youth.
I certainly learned a lot from reading this book. There are a lot of details about Hitler's rule in Germany that I didn't know, and I also don't know a lot about German culture and lifestyle. It was certainly a very illuminating book, and at less than 300 pages, it's a fast read. It also strikes me as an important read, as it very much emphasizes the dangers of blind patriotism and uncompromising pride in one's homeland, and it clearly illustrates the wider consequences of war.
Recommended reading for people interested in WWII history, or German history and culture.
5/5 stars
When it comes to memoirs relating to WWII history, the selection seems to be largely dominated by Holocaust survivors or by writing from the Pacific side of the war. For me, at least, it was easy to forget about the general population of Germany, since most of the attention goes to the Nazis or to the people who suffered under them. Irmgard Hunt, the author of this memoir, was born in 1934, the year after Adolf Hitler was elected Chancellor of Germany. She was born in Berchtesgaden, a town in southeastern Germany that is infamous as being Hitler's home and his base of operations. Irmgard was born to parents who had both suffered greatly in the difficult years following WWI. Because of their difficulties in their youth, Irmgard's parents were both easily persuaded to vote for Hitler in 1933, and to support him in the following years. Because of her proximity to Hitler's home, Irmgard was always aware of Hitler's presence; once, when she was a small child, she even sat on his knee when he spotted her at a parade. As Germany eventually found itself at war with the Allies, Irmgard's happy early childhood changed. Her father was called away to war, and was killed in France. Irmgard goes on to describe what it was like being an everyday German during the war, during the years of rationing and air raids and increasing Nazi brutality directed at Irmgard's family and friends.
This is definitely not a memoir intended to explain the national psychology of Germany, or to explain how it was that Hitler was able to gain, and maintain, such power over the people. It certainly wasn't intended to justify the actions of the German people. Mostly it was intended as a snapshot of what day-to-day life was like for the average citizen of Germany... what school was like, what kind of jobs people had, and how the war impacted their lives. For Irmgard, the war meant that there was not enough food on the table, and it meant that she had to fear for the life of her vocally anti-Hitler grandfather, and after the war, she had to face the new information of what had been happening during the war (many of the Nazi's actions were not disclosed to the public during the war years). There was also the lingering guilt over the fact that her father had given his life for what turned out to be an awful, awful cause.
Since the memoir is written by a woman who was a young child during the years in question, I suspect that there was some degree of artistic latitude taken with the details, but I still found this to be a remarkably honest, open book that was very illuminating for me. The author doesn't try to justify her country's actions, and she doesn't try to get pity or sympathy from the reader. It certainly emphasized that in most wars, neither side is 100% good or evil. Irmgard's father, in many ways a perfectly decent man, went to war not because he hated Jews or because he wanted to kill French people, but simply because he was drafted into the Army. And in the days after the war, Irmgard witnessed a group of American soldiers gang-raping a German teenager. Irmgard herself admits to doing some things she wasn't proud of... through peer pressure, she once verbally taunted a Jewish family, and she enthusiastically joined the Hitler Youth.
I certainly learned a lot from reading this book. There are a lot of details about Hitler's rule in Germany that I didn't know, and I also don't know a lot about German culture and lifestyle. It was certainly a very illuminating book, and at less than 300 pages, it's a fast read. It also strikes me as an important read, as it very much emphasizes the dangers of blind patriotism and uncompromising pride in one's homeland, and it clearly illustrates the wider consequences of war.
Recommended reading for people interested in WWII history, or German history and culture.
5/5 stars
November 30, 2020
This powerful memoir comes from a perspective not often seen in WWII/Holocaust studies: that of German children who were growing up in the shadow of the Third Reich. It is frightening and thought-provoking as we watch everyday people get swept up in an ugly frenzy and then attempt to excuse and minimize their contributions once the war is over and the full horror comes to light.
August 1, 2011
Irmgard Hunt reflects on her childhood, growing up in Berchtesgaden, Bavaria at the foot of the mountain where Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest was located. She provides a unique perspective of the Third Reich as seen through the eyes of a child. She is often confused by the actions and comments of the adults in her family and in her community, as she attempts to make sense of the events that are taking place. Ms. Hunt shares her family’s history, and provides insight into the political climate at that time in history. Well written and insightful, this fascinating book provides the reader with a sense of what life was really like for citizens living in Germany under the shadow of Nazism.
August 8, 2018
Irmgard Hunt's memoir of being born into Nazi Germany- recounting some of her family history during and post WWI and her experiences living on "Hitler's mountain" in the lead up to, during and after WWII - is a necessary read. Hunt explores big questions of patriotism, indoctrination, and the relationship between mother and daughter. She recounts what it was like to meet Hitler at 3.5 years old, just before the war started. She, the "perfect example" of a little German girl- neat blond braids, bright blue eyes and a ruddy complexion- and he, beloved and thought to be the saviour of his people, not yet known to be one of the greatest monsters history has ever seen.
Hunt details living through the war, recounting its horrors in the ways we can expect and have come to know - the poverty, the near-starvation, the wide-spread illness. But she also talks about what it was like to have her worldview - Nazism, the only government she had ever known, the man who was to save the German people -torn asunder around her. This experience left her at once fearful and deeply critical of authority figures, and struggling with questions as to how her people had let this happen, but more importantly, how and why her family and friends - most of them ardent Hitler supporters - had turned their backs on their values and morals and supported the man who committed some of the most heinous crimes in history.
On Hitler's Mountain is moving, at times funny, and an important insight into the psyche of a people that the world blamed for the unspeakable actions of its leaders.
Hunt details living through the war, recounting its horrors in the ways we can expect and have come to know - the poverty, the near-starvation, the wide-spread illness. But she also talks about what it was like to have her worldview - Nazism, the only government she had ever known, the man who was to save the German people -torn asunder around her. This experience left her at once fearful and deeply critical of authority figures, and struggling with questions as to how her people had let this happen, but more importantly, how and why her family and friends - most of them ardent Hitler supporters - had turned their backs on their values and morals and supported the man who committed some of the most heinous crimes in history.
On Hitler's Mountain is moving, at times funny, and an important insight into the psyche of a people that the world blamed for the unspeakable actions of its leaders.
November 28, 2013
A fascinating viewpoint of a child's life in Berchtesgaden from the early 1930s through to 1947. Particularly interesting were the political divisions within her family between her grandparents who were anti-nazi and her parents who were in favour of Hitler.
August 31, 2012
I've read a lot of World War II memoirs and what they have to tell us of this dark page in human history is extremely important; sixty plus years later, we MUST not look away. Still, this one was particularly absorbing; Hunt seems to understand the importance of crafting her story and not just telling it. She availed herself of numerous outside readers and editors and even attended the Bethesda Writers Workshop--and it shows. As a writer, I have to appreciate her respect for the craft. Moreover, I could not put this down and it shed great light on this time from a different perspective. While intensely repentant on behalf of her people--Hunt has dedicated her life to speaking out against racism, sexism, all kinds of isms and threats to human dignity--she also tries to understand what led some of friends and family members to fall under the Nazi spell. Reminiscent, to an extent, of The Book Thief.
February 16, 2017
I've read a lot of WWII books, but this is the first I've read from the perspective of someone who lived through it as a patriotic German ignorant of the atrocities of the Nazi regime. It was particularly interesting to compare Hitler and his supporters to, well, you know, the guy in the White House as of this writing.
October 1, 2014
I think some people who reviewed this book are confused, because many of the complaints I've seen talk about how it doesn't go beyond the perspective of the woman who wrote it, who was just a child during the war. But that's exactly what the book is - a memoir of a childhood in wartime, not a history of WWII in Berchtesgaden. If you keep that in mind, this is an incredible historical perspective, especially as it's not just a collection of her memories but rather something she wrote after recalling events in her own mind but then double checking them alongside those she grew up with, her mother's record books and diaries, and news sources available at the time. Obviously no ten-year-old child is going to speak of the events that took place in the way a historian would, which is why you read analysis by historians for the facts but then memoirs like this to turn the facts into reality. It's also written beautifully, especially in the author's descriptions of life on the mountain. What was most striking, however, is that while this girl did have some hardship - her father was killed while fighting for Hitler and at the very end of the war, her hometown was bombed - her life during wartime was remarkably untouched by the war itself. There was propaganda, Nazi youth groups, SS men stationed all over the mountain, and Hitler living basically up the hill, but compared to how other children had it in 1940s Europe, Irmgard's life for the most part went on as usual. She complained more about chores, fights with her mother, and having to trudge up the mountain in the snow than she did about the war itself, when not very far away civilians were bombed relentlessly and concentration camps existed. It's a very unique situation to be in, as were other instances of her childhood - having fanatical Nazi teachers, moderate Nazi parents, and an anti-Nazi grandfather, for example. An excellent and important book.
August 26, 2018
Very well written, from a little seen perspective. The author paints a clear picture of the life of an average family during WWII Germany. The most striking piece is the monotony of her life despite being surrounded by world changing events.
October 10, 2021
On Hitler's Mountain is the belated memoir – published more than 60 years after the end of WW2 – of a very young German girl (blonde and Lutheran) growing up in the shadow of Hitler's mountain retreat.
Irmgard Hunt described the factors that caused her family and community to adopt Nazi views. These were cultural in nature, as well as more situational: "the German middle-class curse of political passivity, fear of chaos, a wrongly placed trust in law and order, and a total lack of experience with democracy" (p. 16), extreme poverty and feelings of powerlessness after WW1, patriotism and misguided nationalism, vaguely-defined enemies, fear of retribution if one refused to become a party member, a sense of belonging, and more. As many people later argued, they were "only following orders."
Although Hunt largely focused on family members who supported Hitler, she also described family who did not, including her grandfather, a carpenter, who couldn't get lumber or work until, late in the war, he joined the Nazi party, apparently for pragmatic reasons. Nonetheless, as she wrote, family disputes between supporters of Hitler and those who questioned his philosophy and methods "always focused on Hitler’s war and what it would do to Germany and not on the fate of Jews" (p. 162).
It is interesting to see parallels between reactions to Hitler then and recent surges in patriotic and nationalistic authoritarian attitudes around the world. To what degree are these related to perceived powerlessness and attempts to regain lost power?
On Hitler's Mountain was an interesting memoir, although for historical reasons, I wish she had written it closer to the war. Sixty years gave her distance and perspective, but that distance may have also distorted the ways that she remembered attitudes and behavior from that period, especially as she had emigrated to the US in 1958 and was now married to a Jew. Although Hunt clearly admits having accepted Nazi attitudes, especially in her very young childhood, to what degree were her memories influenced by self-serving biases (e.g., making her growing distrust of the Nazis appear clearer and easier than they were)?
Of course, these are my concerns about any memoir – and I love memoirs.
Irmgard Hunt described the factors that caused her family and community to adopt Nazi views. These were cultural in nature, as well as more situational: "the German middle-class curse of political passivity, fear of chaos, a wrongly placed trust in law and order, and a total lack of experience with democracy" (p. 16), extreme poverty and feelings of powerlessness after WW1, patriotism and misguided nationalism, vaguely-defined enemies, fear of retribution if one refused to become a party member, a sense of belonging, and more. As many people later argued, they were "only following orders."
Although Hunt largely focused on family members who supported Hitler, she also described family who did not, including her grandfather, a carpenter, who couldn't get lumber or work until, late in the war, he joined the Nazi party, apparently for pragmatic reasons. Nonetheless, as she wrote, family disputes between supporters of Hitler and those who questioned his philosophy and methods "always focused on Hitler’s war and what it would do to Germany and not on the fate of Jews" (p. 162).
It is interesting to see parallels between reactions to Hitler then and recent surges in patriotic and nationalistic authoritarian attitudes around the world. To what degree are these related to perceived powerlessness and attempts to regain lost power?
On Hitler's Mountain was an interesting memoir, although for historical reasons, I wish she had written it closer to the war. Sixty years gave her distance and perspective, but that distance may have also distorted the ways that she remembered attitudes and behavior from that period, especially as she had emigrated to the US in 1958 and was now married to a Jew. Although Hunt clearly admits having accepted Nazi attitudes, especially in her very young childhood, to what degree were her memories influenced by self-serving biases (e.g., making her growing distrust of the Nazis appear clearer and easier than they were)?
Of course, these are my concerns about any memoir – and I love memoirs.
June 6, 2023
Mehhh… it was ok. The lives of those that lived on the mountain close to hitlers home.
April 9, 2019
After watching the film, THE AFTERMATH, I began to seriously contemplate how it must have felt to be a German after WWII, how it must have rankled them to realize that depths of their Fuhrer's ideologically-fueled, hateful, despicable violence. "How does one reconcile" I wondered, "the unavoidable truth that it was your people--you--who aided and abetted a madman to such heights of power...to the loss of so many lives?" For the first time, I really began to understand that the burden of personal complicity--the overwhelming guilt--must have been horrific.
So I went on a search of my shelves, picked up this book, and was instantly transported to Berchtesgaden, Germany, a mountain town just North of the Austrian border.
Hunt begins her memoir in the 1920s, tracing her family's history through the rise and fall of the Third Reich. Born in 1934, growing up a stone's throw from Eagle's Nest under the tutelage of parents loyal to the Nazi party (so much so that, at 3 years old, she was placed on Hitler's lap for a photo-op), Hunt is the ideal narrator to explore the ways in which rational humans can be swayed by charismatic demagoguery. With great detail and without censorship, Hunt provides an insider's view of her parents' infatuation with the leader, the propaganda embedded throughout every aspect of German life, and the ways in which blind patriotism clashed with healthy skepticism causing a lifetime of emotional fissures between families and neighbors.
Not only does Hunt enable us to look inside the German psyche, she also gives us the perspective of a seasoned American immigrant looking back. Since the 1950s Hunt has lived in the United States, where she married, raised a family, earned a college degree, and worked in environmental protection for the U.S. Government. Not only does she provide a bi-national view, her historical memoir is more relevant today than it was 14 years ago when it was first published in 2005. Early in the narrative, when describing Hitler's rise to power, Hunt says:
"Out of all the Weimar politicians, only Hitler understood fully that playing up patriotism and making false promises to every interest group would garner a following. And most important, perhaps, he realized that instilling fear of a vaguely defined enemy [...] would bring a suspicious and traumatized people to his side." When I read that sentence, I stopped and called my kids down so I could read it out loud to them. She wrote that line in 2005. It gives me chills just thinking about it.
Because my copy is a paperback version that includes an author interview, I had the opportunity to hear Hunt's views on the possibility of a Hitler-type leader in the United States. Again, her prescience knocked me for a loop:
"A dictatorship in America would arrive largely unnoticed and insidiously, with the pretense of a free democracy intact. The prerequisites would be that the [three branches] would be in the hands of one party, headed by a man on a mission who surrounds himself with the like-minded. The media would be largely controlled by that party or by sympathetic owners."
In her list of pre-requisites she also includes an obedient military, a well-protected moneyed class, and a propaganda machine that disallows diverse opinions and criticism. She says that there would need to be a trigger like an economic disaster or terrorist attacks that would...
"provide the excuse to suspend or ignore the Constitution and to declare emergency powers like Hitler did in 1933."
I wish every American on both sides of the aisle would read this book. More than anything, I learned this: Fervent, unquestioning idolatry of a single leader is never good. Not in 1930s Germany and not in 2019 America.
So I went on a search of my shelves, picked up this book, and was instantly transported to Berchtesgaden, Germany, a mountain town just North of the Austrian border.
Hunt begins her memoir in the 1920s, tracing her family's history through the rise and fall of the Third Reich. Born in 1934, growing up a stone's throw from Eagle's Nest under the tutelage of parents loyal to the Nazi party (so much so that, at 3 years old, she was placed on Hitler's lap for a photo-op), Hunt is the ideal narrator to explore the ways in which rational humans can be swayed by charismatic demagoguery. With great detail and without censorship, Hunt provides an insider's view of her parents' infatuation with the leader, the propaganda embedded throughout every aspect of German life, and the ways in which blind patriotism clashed with healthy skepticism causing a lifetime of emotional fissures between families and neighbors.
Not only does Hunt enable us to look inside the German psyche, she also gives us the perspective of a seasoned American immigrant looking back. Since the 1950s Hunt has lived in the United States, where she married, raised a family, earned a college degree, and worked in environmental protection for the U.S. Government. Not only does she provide a bi-national view, her historical memoir is more relevant today than it was 14 years ago when it was first published in 2005. Early in the narrative, when describing Hitler's rise to power, Hunt says:
"Out of all the Weimar politicians, only Hitler understood fully that playing up patriotism and making false promises to every interest group would garner a following. And most important, perhaps, he realized that instilling fear of a vaguely defined enemy [...] would bring a suspicious and traumatized people to his side." When I read that sentence, I stopped and called my kids down so I could read it out loud to them. She wrote that line in 2005. It gives me chills just thinking about it.
Because my copy is a paperback version that includes an author interview, I had the opportunity to hear Hunt's views on the possibility of a Hitler-type leader in the United States. Again, her prescience knocked me for a loop:
"A dictatorship in America would arrive largely unnoticed and insidiously, with the pretense of a free democracy intact. The prerequisites would be that the [three branches] would be in the hands of one party, headed by a man on a mission who surrounds himself with the like-minded. The media would be largely controlled by that party or by sympathetic owners."
In her list of pre-requisites she also includes an obedient military, a well-protected moneyed class, and a propaganda machine that disallows diverse opinions and criticism. She says that there would need to be a trigger like an economic disaster or terrorist attacks that would...
"provide the excuse to suspend or ignore the Constitution and to declare emergency powers like Hitler did in 1933."
I wish every American on both sides of the aisle would read this book. More than anything, I learned this: Fervent, unquestioning idolatry of a single leader is never good. Not in 1930s Germany and not in 2019 America.
June 10, 2015
This is the story of a young girl who witnessed the tragic events of 1930's and 40's Germany unfold. Irmgard Hunt had a unique perspective of Germany as Hitler came to power and through the war. She was a child growing up in Berchtesgaden, where Hitler built his mountain retreat and where many of the families of high Nazi officials lived. In her memoir, she captures the mood of the German people in her community and how many citizens, including her parents, were swept up by his rhetoric. There were also members of her family and community that were opposed to Hitler. She talks about the dangers these people faced if they spoke out against the government. There were Nazi informers in her community, and Hunt was even approached by her teacher (a virulent Nazi and an informer) who inquired about members of her family. The story is mainly about her day to day experiences during this time, and what life was like for her community during the war. It is a cautionary tale about how blind patriotism can sometimes have horrific consequences and that all citizens must be vigilant in assuring the freedoms of all people in a society. Her message is that if anyone's freedoms are infringed upon by the government, it is our responsibility to speak out against such laws. At the conclusion of the book is a very good interview with the author.
March 27, 2008
I thought this book was interesting because it gave insight into the lives of everyday Germans living under Hitler. I didn't realize the little things the Nazis did, like creating a new religion or their emphasis on nature instead of existing religions, in order to increase their hold on their citizens. It was amazing how the people just went along with it, but it begs the question of if it could happen here and how people will go along with almost anything for the promise of a better life.
I did sometimes wonder if the author was trying to make her family look better by minimizing their involvement or by focusing on family members who were against Hitler and the Nazis. However, I do feel that overall she was sincere in her writing and that she wasn't trying to make things look better than they were.
I did sometimes wonder if the author was trying to make her family look better by minimizing their involvement or by focusing on family members who were against Hitler and the Nazis. However, I do feel that overall she was sincere in her writing and that she wasn't trying to make things look better than they were.
June 5, 2012
Many people are interested in understanding how the German people could allow such a monster to take over their country. How could they let him destroy people just because they weren't Aryans? This woman was a child living in Berdesgarden during that time and even sat on Hitler's knee for a photo. Her story is important in getting an understanding of the country and it's people during WWII. She spoke at Southglenn Library in Centennial in May and I found her message quite compelling.
June 6, 2015
Irmgard was born into a Nazi household, steeped in the Hitler cult. An early passing contact with Hitler gave her prestige in the eyes of most of the people she knew. Then came Hitler's war, her family's struggle to stay alive, and the revelations of what had really been going on in the Nazi regime. She lost beloved relations, and was asked to betray close family. Not yet 20, Irmgard had to reevaluate the foundations of her life.
August 9, 2023
3.5 stars
March 14, 2022
Having read many accounts from the perspective of those who suffered during WWII, it was fascinating and insightful to read a memoir from a woman who grew up in a pro-Nazi family and the pre-Hitler societal and economic circumstances that lead ordinary good people to become supporters of a fascist. An interesting and timely read in light of current world events.
A particularly striking quote from Hunt:
"...I firmly believe that unjust, unprovoked, aggressive wars can no longer be the way of civilized nations."
A particularly striking quote from Hunt:
"...I firmly believe that unjust, unprovoked, aggressive wars can no longer be the way of civilized nations."
July 7, 2017
What is it that caused ordinary Germans to follow Hitler? Only the people that lived in Nazi Germany can truly say and they are now few and far between. After those years, many chose not to speak of them again.
Irmgard A. Hunt, a child during Nazi Germany, is a rare voice who was able and chose to share her unique story. Her memoir is that of an ordinary child and her family, living at an extraordinary time and place. Her childhood home, in close proximity to Hitler’s summer retreat in the mountains of Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, afforded her a view of the road up the mountain. She watched prominent Nazi officials drive up to the extravagant mountain estate and as a young child, she even once sat on Hitler’s lap. Her parents were proud of the celebrity this encounter brought the family.
Among her classmates sat the children of prominent Nazi officials. Hunt and her sister, were immersed in Nazi ideology taught at the school and the after school Kindergruppe program. She participated with typical German obedience, at least for a time but as she grew older, she also became wiser and began to see the flaws of the destructive regime.
Hunt’s memoir is written without excuses. She is no hero; her voice that of an ordinary schoolgirl. But it is the very ordinariness of Hunt’s lower middle class family, that is revealing and in a sense most chilling. She states, “the seemingly petty details of these people’s lives are actually often symbolic and always telling…in the continuing struggle to understand the past—both personally and as a lesson from history—these details are too important not to be recorded and thus preserved,” (p.1).
In this, Hunt does an admirable job preserving not only her own past, but the past of the society in which she lived, from the crushing poverty and hopelessness of her family and other middle class people during the 1930’s and Hitler’s promise of an economic miracle allowing him to gain a stronghold among the masses who were mostly able to ignore the less savoury aspects of his program. Through the Party system, it became almost impossible to stand against the regime. Much to his detriment, Hunt’s own grandfather tried to do so, against the wishes of much of his own family.
Hunt does not end her narrative in 1945 at the close of the war, but takes us into devastated post-war Germany, under American occupation. One of her keen observations, is the conspiracy of silence around the war years. Most of the Germans she knew refused to honestly reflect on the recent past or speak of their part in it.
The astute reader will be able to glimpse not only himself or herself but those around them, within the pages of this book. A fascinating and educational read.
Irmgard A. Hunt, a child during Nazi Germany, is a rare voice who was able and chose to share her unique story. Her memoir is that of an ordinary child and her family, living at an extraordinary time and place. Her childhood home, in close proximity to Hitler’s summer retreat in the mountains of Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, afforded her a view of the road up the mountain. She watched prominent Nazi officials drive up to the extravagant mountain estate and as a young child, she even once sat on Hitler’s lap. Her parents were proud of the celebrity this encounter brought the family.
Among her classmates sat the children of prominent Nazi officials. Hunt and her sister, were immersed in Nazi ideology taught at the school and the after school Kindergruppe program. She participated with typical German obedience, at least for a time but as she grew older, she also became wiser and began to see the flaws of the destructive regime.
Hunt’s memoir is written without excuses. She is no hero; her voice that of an ordinary schoolgirl. But it is the very ordinariness of Hunt’s lower middle class family, that is revealing and in a sense most chilling. She states, “the seemingly petty details of these people’s lives are actually often symbolic and always telling…in the continuing struggle to understand the past—both personally and as a lesson from history—these details are too important not to be recorded and thus preserved,” (p.1).
In this, Hunt does an admirable job preserving not only her own past, but the past of the society in which she lived, from the crushing poverty and hopelessness of her family and other middle class people during the 1930’s and Hitler’s promise of an economic miracle allowing him to gain a stronghold among the masses who were mostly able to ignore the less savoury aspects of his program. Through the Party system, it became almost impossible to stand against the regime. Much to his detriment, Hunt’s own grandfather tried to do so, against the wishes of much of his own family.
Hunt does not end her narrative in 1945 at the close of the war, but takes us into devastated post-war Germany, under American occupation. One of her keen observations, is the conspiracy of silence around the war years. Most of the Germans she knew refused to honestly reflect on the recent past or speak of their part in it.
The astute reader will be able to glimpse not only himself or herself but those around them, within the pages of this book. A fascinating and educational read.
April 6, 2011
This provocative memoir attempts to answer one of the thorniest questions later generations have had when it comes to understanding WWII and the Holocaust: how could average, middle class and by all accounts "moral" German citizens have been complicit in the rise to power of Hitler and the workings of his depraved Nazi dictatorship? How much did they truly know - and condone? It is fascinating to read this account of the era from the perspective of a German. Hunt's aim is not to justify this infamous Nazi legacy, only to explain, and she skirts that fundamentally important line well. Having myself lived as a child in this stunningly beautiful area of Bavaria, I was once again struck by the juxtaposition of Hunt's serene Berchtesgaden mountain home with the knowledge that it also was the chosen base for Hitler (it was, as she puts it, the "monster's lair"). I also appreciated the old photographs, interspersed throughout the book, of both the area and of her family. Hunt's personal account is limited by the fact that she as a narrator was so very young (three upon her closest personal encounter with Hitler, and only eleven upon the end of the war), and so she relies upon the beliefs of her parents and grandparents for this greater understanding of the average German's view of Nazism.
November 8, 2017
Excellent memoir of a child growing up in Nazi Germany. She witnesses the adult world of politics that resulted in Hitler gaining control of a nation, and the devastating consequences even as she grows into an adolescent.
As the title implies - Hunt's story goes on from the details of the Nazi's coming to power and the war years to recount the aftermath. U.S. soldiers arriving to occupy the lands where she was living with her mother and sister (her father killed early on in France as a German soldier), and her continued effort to reconcile her people's guilt in acquiescing to Hitler while attempting to frame a new life of meaning.
Hunt addresses many aspects - lutheran and catholic faiths during the Nazi period, her grandfather's integrity in despising Hitler from beginning to end and the arguments that ensued between him and her own mother. The quick reversal of many Nazi civilian sympathizers after the war, learning to speak the right words to their American overseers. The relative freedoms that wealth could still provide to elites.
In this edition, Hunt is interviewed decades later, now living in America, and how her experience gave her both gratitude for America's own democracy and concerns over its weaknesses and conflicting perspectives. Don't miss those pages at the end.
As the title implies - Hunt's story goes on from the details of the Nazi's coming to power and the war years to recount the aftermath. U.S. soldiers arriving to occupy the lands where she was living with her mother and sister (her father killed early on in France as a German soldier), and her continued effort to reconcile her people's guilt in acquiescing to Hitler while attempting to frame a new life of meaning.
Hunt addresses many aspects - lutheran and catholic faiths during the Nazi period, her grandfather's integrity in despising Hitler from beginning to end and the arguments that ensued between him and her own mother. The quick reversal of many Nazi civilian sympathizers after the war, learning to speak the right words to their American overseers. The relative freedoms that wealth could still provide to elites.
In this edition, Hunt is interviewed decades later, now living in America, and how her experience gave her both gratitude for America's own democracy and concerns over its weaknesses and conflicting perspectives. Don't miss those pages at the end.
September 13, 2018
Excellent book if you are interested in personal stories regarding WWII. I was recently in Germany, right in the area of the story so it made it that much more insightful.
The author writes about her childhood, growing up in the mountain area of Berchtesgaden. Her parents and many of her friends’ parents were Hitler supporters. They had lived through terrible times following WWI so were eager to believe his promises of a better life. Hitler built his house right in their area as well as his retreat, The Eagle’s Nest which set atop the mountain. Irmgard sat on Hitler’s lap one time when he picked her out of a crowd that had gathered to see him.
Even as a young child though, Irmgard somehow felt leery of him and of the practices they were taught in school. She heard many arguments between her mom and her grandfather, who was venomously opposed to all Hitler stood for. Despite that, the people in that area knew nothing of the atrocities taking place by the Nazi regime until after the war ended. Her story tells of how they endured the hardships during and after the war, of her sad and distant relationship with her mom, of when the American troops came in and took over the area, and of her life in American years later.
The author writes about her childhood, growing up in the mountain area of Berchtesgaden. Her parents and many of her friends’ parents were Hitler supporters. They had lived through terrible times following WWI so were eager to believe his promises of a better life. Hitler built his house right in their area as well as his retreat, The Eagle’s Nest which set atop the mountain. Irmgard sat on Hitler’s lap one time when he picked her out of a crowd that had gathered to see him.
Even as a young child though, Irmgard somehow felt leery of him and of the practices they were taught in school. She heard many arguments between her mom and her grandfather, who was venomously opposed to all Hitler stood for. Despite that, the people in that area knew nothing of the atrocities taking place by the Nazi regime until after the war ended. Her story tells of how they endured the hardships during and after the war, of her sad and distant relationship with her mom, of when the American troops came in and took over the area, and of her life in American years later.
February 9, 2010
Although the memoir is not what I would call "gripping" as the promo material calls it, the account does shed some light on how the German people got sucked into supporting Hitler, as the author's parents did--not fanatically, but with sincere respect. And of course not all Germans did, such as her grandfather and some of her mother's friends, who did express their disdain for the tyrant, but not publicly. The picture of life painted for the working class from the 1920s on was dire, and during and after the war was not much better. An example is the birch wood chips given to the people after Germany's surrender for food (which were inedible).
Perhaps the bottom-line redeeming value is the author's complete dedication to maintaining democracy (she lives in the U.S. now) and also to avert war at any cost (almost). She has been active in working to save the plaet.
Perhaps the bottom-line redeeming value is the author's complete dedication to maintaining democracy (she lives in the U.S. now) and also to avert war at any cost (almost). She has been active in working to save the plaet.
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