A Concise Biography of Adolf Hitler by Thomas Fuchs

by Thomas Fuchs

"Four Stars." -- West Coast Review of Books"Fascinating reading." -- Booklist"An engrossing book...excellent." -- Oahu Sun Press

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, World War II, Holocaust, Historical

Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 2000

Reviews

[Brian Steele · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time choosing between 3 and 4 stars on this. I feel the concept is brilliant - a biography that focuses on "concepts," rather than on a chronological timeline. However, when presenting a book in this nature, I want a series of facts - not the author's editorial opinion on every other line. Yes, Hitler was a mass murdering douchebag, but I don't need reminded that he had ... "despicable ideals" ... when reading the chapter on his diet and health. And due to the obvious deep feelings held by the author, I felt certain sections were bulkier (more researched?) than others.

It is still a wonderful idea for biographies on complex individuals who perhaps wouldn't fill a chronological biography as well. I think Thomas Fuchs would excel at editing such biographies that weren't directly complied by him on subjects he feels strongly about. Ultimately, Hitler's crimes should never be forgotten, but I simply don't need the color commentary.

[Cynfael · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s sections so it’s easy to read, a great book if you barely know shit about Hitler

[Saiko · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked reading it and some of its passages are useful to photograph and use for arguments.

However, this is not a "concise biography", it's just a fact book divided in chapters, each one talking about a different fact about Hitler.

Also, I didn't like the book's subjectivity. Yes, Hitler was a horrible figure responsible for the deaths of millions of innocent Europeans, but I don't need to read the words "unfortunately...", "his despicable ideas...", etc, every time a phrase starts. I'm reading a history book, not an opinion. Even if I agree with it, it's annoying.

I'd also advise to take some of the "facts" with a grain of salt, since in some points of the book, facts and subjective bullshit (made to just mock Hitler) are indiscernible. What the hell do you mean with "a psychological analysis concluded that Hitler found pleasure in being pissed and defecated on"? What???????? How the hell do you arrive at that conclusion from analyzing his speeches???

Overall, just take this book as a source to extract some facts and snippets of info, not as a useful biography or something.

[Maggi · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not a biography. There is no time line from childhood to adulthood of the man. Just bits & pieces. Snippets. It feels more like a trivia info. The original title of this book was " The Hitler fact book" . It should had kept that title.
For a book with vast bibliography ,the author keeps repeating through out the book "This report can not be confirmed" or " "No report was found to back up this claim" . At some point the author even says about the info presented in the book " Most of this is reconstruction & especulation" . To what I say why even bother to write a book ?

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a nutshell, Hitler was even crazier than you thought! This is not a traditional biography in the sense that it is not in chronological order. Rather the author has divided chapters by subject, such as family life, hobbies, education and even Hitler's favorite books. This makes it a very usable reference book. A quick read.

[Fer Arenas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es un libro que te da a conocer detalles de Hitler que no podrías encontrar en cualquier libro de Historia o que hable sobre el Führer.
Muy recomendando, ya que toca ciertos puntos de su vida que hacen que su vida siga siendo discutida.

[David Rambo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting book written in a way that keeps your interest.Fuchs doesn't go too deeply into any particular aspect of Hitler but gives enough information to pique one's interest for further study.He debunks a lot of myths about Hitler,ranging from the idea that Hitler didn't really hate Jews,(yes he did),the idea that Hitler was a military genius,(no,he wasn't. it was stated by many that had Hitler followed his advisers' advice Germany may well have won the war,but the times his ideas and leadership were followed were generally disasters for the German forces.)That Hitler was a tea-totaler,(no he wasn't entirely). The book also discusses a lot of his eccentricities such as his hypochondria,his strange relationships with women,and the reason he became a vegetarian.(His half niece with whom he was having an affair committed suicide. He actually attended her autopsy.This turned him against meat eating,though he still liked liver dumplings!) He was a tax evader too.Interesting book, an easy read,( I got through most of it today while at the doctor's office)and if you are into history well worth checking out.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever wanted to learn more about one of history’s most infamous people? Well then this is a good book for that. From talking about Hitler’s youth to wartime. From mentioning Who was in his inner circle of the Nazi Party to how he took over the entire Nazi Party and turned it into what it is known as today. A Concise BIography of Adolf Hitler goes over many not well known points in Hitler’s life, like the story behind the Nazi Party’s emblem, his connection with many car-producing companies, to the plan he had to build his own “victory weapons”.

If the book had a bit more explanation on Hitler during war, I would give this book 4 stars. Some of the information in the book is myths about Hitler’s life, but the myths were interesting to read about regardless. This book would be useful for someone who is looking for information about Hitler for a book report or assignment.

[Lauren Larkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this topical and thematic approach to the discussion of Hitler's life. The book is intentionally structured in a way that allows one to look up concepts and ideas, Hitler's relationships with things other than people. The chapters are accessible and well written, allowing for a mix of historical material and the reality that Hitler was human, albeit violently misguided, narcissistic, and villainous. The book also gives it's audience an approach to learning about Hitler that is non-academic. This isn't to speak of a lower quality or lack of intellectual material; it's to speak of the accessibility and engaging style of reporting information and writing. Anyone can read this book. A great introduction to learning about such a person of history.

[Lauren Pittman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book basically showed me that Hitler was a douchebag. The book talks about every little detail possible. It talks about everything from his pretty peeves to why his mustache was shaped the way it was. The book is a biography, but there is no certain order in which everything comes. I do not like that there is no chronological order, but it would be hard to consider the topics they chose to discuss. The book was organized so you could get straight to the point on each topic. The most interesting topic to me was how many people he had killed and ordered to kill. He likes to use cyanide and have his guards kill.

[Dr. Thomas Wasser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book.... but... if you are a historian and really interested in this period of history there is really no new or unknown information here. There was not a single spoiler in the book. However the material is presented in an interesting way and I enjoyed the topic based format but the information was redundant.
So if you are not a historian for this period of time and want to learn a lot about Hitler and the war this would be a good fast read that is accurate and would bring you up to speed.

[Ginger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great way to learn about a complex historical figure, especially one so hard to comprehend the actions of. This biography is broken down into topical segments of Hitler's life as opposed to providing a chronological account. Gets to the important stuff with less fluff. Author provides great notes to source every detail he writes about. Hitler was crazier than I ever could have imagined.

[grey av · Rating 4 out of 5]

idk why no one knows about this book. its a fascinating short read. if you want basic knowledge of Hitler i would recommend. this was insane tbh. i keep seeing people complain about the fact that it wasn't chronological, but as someone who can't read things that way, this was a great way to learn more about him. i like the way the chapters grouped different topics.

[B L Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was definitely a page turner. It was:
1. Very direct
2.Only filled with interesting facts
3.Somewhat focused on busting myths
4.An Easy Read
5.Filled with Surprises

I'd recommend this to Hitler fanatics and people who want to understand just how deranged he was.

[Nancy Rundle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. I like how the author stayed with facts instead of assumptions. I enjoyed how the book way layed out, easy to pick up & put down when need be. Very nice job overall.

[Lucas Gibson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book just full of facts about history’s most infamous villain. It doesn’t just give you numbers of the atrocities he did but rather talks on him as a person, a perspective rarely shared. He was a very odd man and was obviously disturbed and not right in the head. There was nothing normal about him described in this book. He did have a dog that he really loved, but in the end he killed it. Seriously, he was not normal in one aspect. Good read for anyone curious about history and its villains.

[Asher Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative! Lots of things I didn't know.

[Luis · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a lot of rumors and myths I have heard about Hitler over the years. The author does a nice job of clearing up many of the major ones. I was more interest in the author's illuminations into the man that was this monster we see in our minds whenever his name is mentioned. Hitler was an ordinary human being with extraordinary commitment to his ideals and convictions, no matter how delusional and inhuman these would turn out to be. He succeeded on his path to power because his message found a home in the hearts of many German citizens at the time. Adolf Hitler had an uncanny insight into human nature and used this to his advantage in sizing up Germany for world war. He also used this understanding in his selection of men like Hermann Goering, Joseph Goebbles, and Heinrich Himmler who would help him build a ruthless empire founded from the beginning on hatred, and literal flesh and blood.

Excerpt from page 120: "Hitler had not become master of Germany by advocating unpopular causes. The Germans may have been led to catastrophic violence, but they were not pushed."

[T.E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a deeply interesting book...and it would have gotten five stars had the author restrained the need to remind us every two sentences that HITLER WAS BADDDDD. Yes, I am aware that the man was screwed in the head and did terrible things, but having such unnecessary little phrases such as (and I paraphrase) "While it seems impossible that Hitler could do anything which was not foul and destructive..." simply got in the way of what I wanted: the facts. OK, Hitler was a horrible individual, but still a PERSON. I honestly doubt he woke up in the morning and poured himself a glass of juice with despicable intent. However, this is an excellent book, particularly if (like me) you have slogged through some dull, dull, DULL biographies on such a fascinating man. It's a nice way to pick up the quick facts.

[Samuel 714 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I cant say that Hiltler was stupid, dont get me wrong the man was the most evilist person in human history but that doesnt mean hes stupid. Hitler, took Germany and made it into a country that produced one of the greatist weapons of the patriotic war and products, made the German army feared throughout the world, when it conquered half of Europe in less then a year! and made Germany at that time, the most powerful nation (besides America and I think the USSR) in the world for a few years.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book for those wanting a quick overview of Adolf Hitler. It covers a wide range of topics in a brief manner, and certainly leaves you wanting to learn more about this complex character in history. I picked this up fairly cheap, and am happy to have it in my collection. I prefer more in depth forays into personalities and characters, but this title clearly said concise so that is what I was expecting. It was good overall.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this over the weekend at home. It is a collection of facts about Adolph Hitler. His likes and dislikes. He was vegetrain. He had books and movies on prno. He ate as much as two pounds of candy each day. He bite his nails, and sucked his fingers. He loved movies. THe Bengal lancers and King Kong were his favorites.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great fact book abou Adolf Hitler, as well as very funny. This is the dictator in a different light with such chapters as "Hitler's Mustache" and "Hitler's Dog". It's a good fun read if you're researching on Nazi Germany or Adolf Hitler

[Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting Biography on Adolf Hitler. This hardly covered what he did in wars but focused on who he was as a person. Ranging from his mustache, how he did his hair, his fashion, friends, diet and even his pet dog.

[Kayla Durham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gives the reader an insight into "Everyday Hitler" as well as the terrifying monster he was. A good read for those vaguely interested in Hitler trivia, but not those who want an in depth biography.

[Dana]

It's already interesting, a lot of facts that you won't find in other books about this evil man who was such an important part of history.

[Carla Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was worth reading for little tidbits about hitler and world war II.

[Jordan Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read lots of facts in a short time.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great attempt at organizing the life/experiences that created Hitler. I think it's important we all understand what experiences lead to the creation of such personalities as Hitler.

[Jes Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informational.