"'When Hitler Took Austria' outclasses a great number of its peers within the genre."

Jeff Emanuel has reviewed, at length, the recently released book, When Hitler Took Austria: A Memoir of Heroic Faith by the Chancellor's Son, co-authored by Kurt and Janet von Schuschnigg. Emanuel writes that the book

shines a bright light on the events of the late 1930s in Austria from a very particular point of view: that of a chancellor's son who came of age during the events he is recounting.  As may be expected, a significant portion of this memoir focuses on the author's father, Kurt von Schuschnigg the elder, both as Chancellor of Austria prior to the German invasion (1934–1938) and as a prisoner of Hitler's government.  The recollections in the book as a whole, and in the pre-Anschluss portion in particular, are made up of a precise intertwining of history and personal memory, and the result is a narrative that is as intellectually informative as it is personally engaging.  Von Schuschnigg sets his own youthful exploits and learning experiences against the backdrop of serious situations and events that his father and his country faced in the run-up to WWII, from Austria's long and painful climb back from the economic knockout punch delivered it after the first world war to the desperate attempts by the chancellor to keep his nation independent and secure in the face of the growing Nazi threat across the German border and at home.

And, later, he states:

A FAST-PACED, ENGAGING memoir that clearly communicates the author's strength and suffering (both physical and mental) at Hitler's tyrannical hands, When Hitler Took Austria outclasses a great number of its peers within the genre.  The book is well-written, thanks in no small part to the narrator's wife (and titular co-author) Janet,* who took on the large task of writing down her husband's recollections, and whose first-person writing in the preface and acknowledgments should not be confused with the first-person narrative of the book itself.  Further, its unique point of view and informative personal anecdotes make it a must-read for those interested in run-up to the war in Europe, as does its focus on events in Austria, a country whose story rarely receives the attention it deserves, perhaps due to the Austro-Hungarian role in WWI.  Whatever the reason, When Hitler Took Austria makes up for a deficit of information and recognition on two fronts.  The first is the story of Austria in the years before WWII, which has received precious little attention from the general public.  The second, of a far less ephemeral nature, is the recognition this book provides for overworked and underappreciated guardian angels everywhere, without whom neither the author nor his family would have survived a fraction of the encounters recounted in this excellent book. [*Janet von Schuschnigg née Cook is also my lovely wife's aunt.]

Read the entire review on Emanuel's website. When Hitler Took Austria is also available in Electronic Book Format.