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A Village in the Third Reich

How Ordinary Lives Were Transformed By the Rise of Fascism
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( 2,750 ratings, 314 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
A Village in the Third Reich by Julia Boyd and Angelika Patel explores the life of a small German village during the Nazi regime. It delves into the everyday experiences of the villagers, showing how the Third Reich's policies impacted them individually and collectively. The book sheds light on both acts of resistance and complicity within the village, providing a nuanced view of this dark period in history.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you are interested in exploring the everyday lives and moral dilemmas faced by ordinary people in a small German village during the Nazi era, offering a unique perspective on history through well-researched narratives and personal stories.

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A stunningly evocative portrait of Hitler’s Germany through the people of a single village.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Oberstdorf is a beautiful village high up in the Bavarian Alps, a place where for hundreds of years, people lived simple lives while history was made elsewhere. Yet even here, in the southernmost corner of Germany, National Socialism sought to control not only people’s lives but also their minds.

Drawing on archive material, letters, interviews, and memoirs, A Village in the Third Reich is an extraordinarily intimate portrait of Germany under Hitler, of the descent into totalitarianism, and of the tragedies that befell all of those touched by Nazism. In its pages, we meet the Jews who survived – and those who didn’t; the Nazi mayor who tried to shield those persecuted by the regime; and a blind boy whose life was judged ‘not worth living’.

It is a tale of conflicting loyalties and desires, of shattered dreams, despair, and destruction – but one in which, ultimately, human resilience triumphs. These are the stories of ordinary lives at the crossroads of history.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

A Village in the Third Reich has been praised as a compelling and evocative account by multiple reviewers. The Times described it as a fascinating deep dive into one community's experience during the rise and fall of Hitler. Boyd's skill as a micro-historian is highlighted by iNews, while The Oldie calls her masterly, noting the book's exploration of human responses in political extremis. The Daily Mail finds it a superbly researched chronicle offering deep insights into the psychological workings of Nazism, and Mail on Sunday commends its human touch. Spectator describes it as gripping, richly detailed, and humane. Other reviews from Family Tree and All About History also recommend it highly, finding it absorbing and compelling.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781783966639

Publisher: Elliott & Thompson Limited

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 06 October 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Elliott & Thompson Limited

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 464

About the Author

Julia Boyd is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller Travellers in the Third Reich: The Rise of Fascism through the Eyes of Everyday People. Her previous books include A Dance with the Dragon: The Vanished World of Peking's Foreign Colony, The Excellent Doctor Blackwell: The Life of the First Woman Physician and Hannah Riddell: An Englishwoman in Japan. As the widow of a former diplomat, she lived in Germany from 1977 to 1981. She lives in London. Angelika Patel was born into an old Oberstdorf family. She studied History and German Literature before taking an MBA at INSEAD at Fontainebleu. She is the author of Ein Dorf im Spiegel seiner Zeit (A Village in the Mirror of its Time): Oberstdorf 1918–1952. She lives in London and Oberstdorf.

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    Oberstdorf is a beautiful village high up in the Bavarian Alps, a place where for hundreds of years ordinary people lived simple lives while history was made elsewhere. Yet even here, in the farthest corner of Germany, National Socialism sought to control not only people’s lives but also their minds. By putting one village under the microscope, this book evocatively...
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  • Travellers in the Third Reich
    Travellers in the Third Reich by Julia Boyd offers a gripping and nuanced exploration of Germany between 1919 and 1945, unravelling the complexities and dynamics of the Nazi rise to power through the eyes of foreigners who lived, worked, or travelled in the country. This meticulously researched narrative is based on a rich tapestry of first-hand accounts, painting a vivid...
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    Oberstdorf is a beautiful village high up in the Bavarian Alps, a place where for hundreds of years ordinary people lived simple lives while history was made elsewhere. Yet even here, in the farthest corner of Germany, National Socialism sought to control not only people’s lives but also their minds. By putting one village under the microscope, this book evocatively...
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