Legacy of Silence: Encounters with Children of the Third Reich

by Dan Bar-On

A record of interviews with those who experience Nazi Germany as a legacy that shapes their reminiscences of childhood. Dan Bar-On, an Israeli psychologist, went to Germany to talk to the middle-aged children of Nazis, men who ranged from minor functionaries of the Holocaust to mass murderers.

Genres: World War II, History, Holocaust

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was nothing like I expected. The author, Dan Bar-On, returned to Germany on several trips looking to interview people who were children during World War II and who's parents were active Nazis. It was a great premise, but it was a slow start.

Apparently, in order to obtain some of these interviews, Dan had to agree to a lot of confidentiality and to be vague about names and dates. For someone like me, it made some of the interviews very hard to follow. They were also done in a transcript fashion. Dan just tape recorded the interviews and then transcribed them. If the interviewee was interesting and had a good story, I didn't mind. For the ones who were vague, it was rather tedious. However, there were several good chapters with engaging people and really good stories. I did actually learn a lot. For instance, A LOT of German men committed suicide. And while it was painful, it was considered very normal.

Also, there were no pictures, no images to help the reader relate. I wouldn't expect pictures of the subjects, but of the places that they spoke about or the camps.

[Mikey B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting to have perceptive interviews with the sons and daughters of Nazi perpetrators. There was little of that, and I started to skim after one hundred pages. The interviews were literally transposed verbatim, as in here is the question and this is answer given. For the most part the answers were meandering and avoided the intended subject matter of the atrocities committed by their fathers.

It was too much on their upbringing rather than what daddy did and how it affected their lives. I was not going to filter through each interview to attempt to discover the consequences of living with a perpetrator. There was often obfuscation of their parents’ responsibility. One even remarked that there is always inhumanity occurring in all parts of the world.

Essentially this book needed to be shortened to remove insignificant details. Far Better to read Gitta Sereny or Wages of Guilt: Memories of War in Germany and Japan.

[Nic · Rating 2 out of 5]

I lost interest halfway through. I guess I was looking for something that just isn't there. These Nazi children are either delusional or in denial about what their parents did, and I just can't read any more of it.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a quick read, but well worth it. Interesting look at the post-WWII German psyche, as people either attempt to come to grips with what their parents and country did or the ways they avoid it altogether. So good I bought it for my collection.