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Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent 1934-1941 by Gordon A. Craig, William L. Shirer
stevenyenzer's review against another edition
4.0
An incredible artifact of the run-up to (and beginning of) World War II.
graceless's review against another edition
5.0
Finally finished this on my last morning visiting Berlin. What a fantastic book. I usually struggle with straight up history and this was perfect for me - history written as it was happening. Highly recommend it
maria_pulver's review against another edition
5.0
A real and only slightly edited diary that documented Shirer’s life as a foreign correspondent in Nazi Germany provides a day-to-day observations into various aspects of the country that started WW2.
Though sometimes Shirer is too judgmental and biased towards the German people or various Europeans governments and is not understanding or attentive enough of the prosecution of the Jews, the book describes a society built on lies, propaganda and promotion of false values. It reads as a cautionary tale, especially nowadays, when Putin’s Russia employs the same strategy and the same justification while invading Ukraine.
Though sometimes Shirer is too judgmental and biased towards the German people or various Europeans governments and is not understanding or attentive enough of the prosecution of the Jews, the book describes a society built on lies, propaganda and promotion of false values. It reads as a cautionary tale, especially nowadays, when Putin’s Russia employs the same strategy and the same justification while invading Ukraine.
socorrobaptista's review against another edition
3.0
Diários costumam ser muito pessoais, o que não é, certamente, o caso deste livro de Shirer. Claro que há momentos muito pessoais narrados no texto, como o nascimento de sua filha e os riscos que ele e a família correram nos anos de guerra, mas o principal foco são os eventos ocorridos durante o tempo que o jornalista passou como correspondente estrangeiro em Berlin, e a forma como ele vê e percebe as ações tanto dos alemães como dos aliados, embora nem sempre possa narrar os fatos, devido a uma forte censura por parte dos militares alemães que o vigiavam durante suas transmissões radiofônicas. É uma forma muito interessante de ver a histórica contata por alguém que, mesmo sem ter acessos a todas as informações, consegue nos passar uma imagem muito precisa dos acontecimentos. Gostei, e recomendo.
#ReadHarderChallenge2019
#ReadHarderChallenge2019
kiperoo's review against another edition
4.0
Fabulous first-hand accout of the years leading up to and then the beginning of WWII by a correspondent based (mostly) in Berlin.
xxstefaniereadsxx's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
This book is referenced a lot in a book group that I am in. I have had it for a while, and in my attempt to read all the books that I own that I have not yet gotten to, I finally decided to get to this one. William Shirer was a foreign correspondent, who had the fairly unique position of reporting on the climate and events leading up to the outbreak of World War II and beyond. I appreciate his descriptive writing style and attention to detail. This book, and the second volume, are really very good and provide a lost of details about pre-war and mid-war Europe. This is a really great book for gaining perspective on the climate in Europe.
ouroredux's review
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Harrowing; pulled me into WWII in a way no history book ever has. Unfortunately, its lessons on the rise of fascism are still far too relevant.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Genocide and Antisemitism
Minor: Racial slurs and Suicide attempt
nrschultz's review against another edition
5.0
The depiction of Nazi Germany in this book is not what I expected. Shirer is not a fan, but his reasons are not those that first come to mind, namely the brutal persecution of Jews, Pols and other European minorities. Instead, as is not surprising from the diary of a journalist, much of the vitriol the Shirer talks about is around the Nazi propaganda machine, and how it affects not only his work as a reporter, but also the attitudes of average Germans across WWII Germany. This is an excellent book.
gdollinger's review against another edition
4.0
Reading about 1940 in 2020. Temptation to compare Nazi Germany to Trumpian USA. Trump is no Hitler. He more of a Goring. A fat incompetent bully. Fox and OAN media are similar to Nazi media.
see p 539 “..in the present totalitarian atmosphere, where words have lost all meaning, anything becomes true merely because the controlled press says so.”
America Firstism doesn’t far well in comparison either.
p. 583 . “..it means more of the milk and honey of this world for them. That it will of necessarily be obtained at the expense of other peoples — Czechs, Poles, Scandinavias, French - does bot bother the Germanin the least. On this he has no moral scruples whatsoever”
see p 539 “..in the present totalitarian atmosphere, where words have lost all meaning, anything becomes true merely because the controlled press says so.”
America Firstism doesn’t far well in comparison either.
p. 583 . “..it means more of the milk and honey of this world for them. That it will of necessarily be obtained at the expense of other peoples — Czechs, Poles, Scandinavias, French - does bot bother the Germanin the least. On this he has no moral scruples whatsoever”