Requiem for a German Past: A Boyhood among the Nazis

by Jurgen Herbst

Jurgen Herbst’s account of growing up in Nazi Germany from 1928 to 1948 is a boy’s experience of anti-Semitism and militarism from the inside. Herbst was a middle-class boy in a Lutheran family that saw value in Prussian military ideals and a mythic German past. His memoir is a compelling, understated tale of moral awakening.

Genres: Memoir, World War II, History, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1999

Reviews

[Aubrey Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This memoir is simply a must-read for those trying to understand how many average young Germans actually experienced life in Nazi Germany. Jurgen Herbst is honest about the very real ambiguities he faced, and the conflicts he felt as a leader of the Jungvolk during the 1940's. With only a slight feeling of hesitation, I would recommend it for younger people as well as adults. Although there are a few brief lines throughout the book that may not be suitable for all students, it may be a great option for many students after being previewed by parents.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given the horrors of WWII and the evil Nazi past, I wanted to learn about the lives of Germans during that time. The author, Jürgen Herbst, left Germany after the war and immigrated to the US becoming a professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. This is an memoir of his growing up years, 1928-1948. Jurgen admires his father, a scholar and veteran soldier of WWI. His ambition is to be a soldier and like all young Germans of the time, joins a youth group, the Jungvolk. Toward the end of the war, he experiences battle and upon coming home lives through very hard times.

I found it to be a sad book about a time in history, about a war against evil and how it changed Germany and its people.