Hitler and My Mother-in-Law

Hitler and My Mother-in-Law is a riveting memoir that explores the intersection of truth—both familial and political—through the colourful and complex life of the author's mother-in-law.

In a time like our own of intense propaganda and manipulation, the only WWII female correspondent who covered both theatres of war, Pat Hartwell, identified Hitler from a pile of ashes for the US military, and the troops awarded her with a million-dollar painting from Hitler's study. Really?

She was the only woman in the CBS newsroom, assistant to the head of the Office of War Information, VP of one of the largest public relations companies in the world, third in command of UNICEF where she convinced Matisse to provide artwork for free, editor of her own Arizona newspaper where she hustled naïve art on the side, and eventually head of the Hawaiian arts council, a state of extremely complex political and social stakeholders, where she left a legacy of preventing art fraud. Her story is a fascinating journey through history, art, and deception.

The memoir delves into the art of invention and the shapeshifting of memory and truth, interwoven with humorous yet profound moments. It examines the comical Soviet efforts to conceal Hitler's death, McCarthy's investigations, and the author's own struggle to compete with both her mother and her mother-in-law. Threaded throughout are insights into organisations that malign the word "mother" and, of course, plenty of mother-in-law jokes.

With meticulous research and a unique perspective, Hitler and My Mother-in-Law challenges the boundaries of narrative honesty, offering a powerful exploration of propaganda, identity, and the personal reckoning that defines the art of memoir. It's a gripping mix of history, family, humour, and a biting reflection on the politics of truth—past and present.