Children of Nazis

The Sons and Daughters of Himmler, Göring, Höss, Mengele, and Others - Living with a Father’s Monstrous Legacy

By: Tania Crasnianski, Molly Grogan - translator

Narrated by: Christa Lewis

In 1940, the German sons and daughters of infamous Nazi dignitaries Himmler, Göring, Hess, Frank, Bormann, Speer, and Mengele were children of privilege at four, five, or 10 years old, surrounded by affectionate, all-powerful parents. Although innocent and unaware of what was happening at the time, they eventually discovered the extent of their fathers' occupations: These men - who were capable of loving their children and receiving love in return - were leaders of the Third Reich and would later be convicted as monstrous war criminals. For these children, the German defeat was an earth-shattering source of family rupture, the end of opulence, and the jarring discovery of Hitler's atrocities.

How did the offspring of these leaders deal with the aftermath of the war and the skeletons that would haunt them forever? Some chose to disown their past. Others did not. Some condemned their fathers; others worshiped them unconditionally to the end. In this enlightening book, Tania Crasnianski examines the responsibility of eight descendants of Nazi notables, caught somewhere between stigmatization, worship, and amnesia. By tracing the unique experiences of these children, she probes at the relationship between them and their fathers and examines the idea of how responsibility for the fault is continually borne by the descendants.

©2016 Grasset & Fasquelle; English-language translation copyright 2018 by Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. (P)2020 Tantor

Very good

Being the second generation coming after the WW2 in Germany in my Family, I must say foremost that there were things in this book that I did not know.
My mother and father were born before the war started and my grandparents on both sides were born before the first WW.
My parents did not talk a lot about WW2 and what was going on, a little here and there my maternal grandparents did not mention it at all and that was due to the fact that they were in the “Party” if you let my paternal grandmother tell it.
My Oma was the only one that told me things, I’m the youngest out of 3 children and the only one that was ever interested.
It just wasn’t really talked about much, in school we went over it but more of a conversation that told us to never ever let something like this happen again in Germany. Never be racist, never judge anyone and never ever say “ HEIL”you know who because that’s against the law in Germany.
If you wanted details you had to read or ask your family elders.
My Oma told me that everyone was a nazi and if they said they weren’t then they were lying!
She said, you had to be a Nazi because of the SS found out you weren’t you might get shot on the spot. Family would tell on family, friends on friends if it came down to it.
Anyway, this book is extremely helpful in understanding what not only the children of these Nazis felt but also what these monsters did themselves.
You will find out things that you might not have known about Höss or Mengele, or their children.
It’s a fantastic book about a heart wrenching time and the worst time in history, a time that I hope that Germany can make up to Israel and the Jewish community one day.

Insightful

CHILDREN OF NAZIS is a fascinating look at how the adult children of the worst Nazi war criminals dealt the aftermath of WWII, their fathers and with having an infamous last name.

Some stayed loyal to their fathers. Others blames the Jews. A few refused to believe their fathers were involved in the atrocities. Several changed their names. Most hid their identities.

I’m glad I was able to read their stories.

Excellent

We are all impacted by our upbringing. The stories here are well told, and the author writes in a factual vs judgemental writing style.

Well researched!

Well researched with lots of small interesting details.
A deeper look into their personal lives.

Interesting and educating

Easy reading of a hard subject. The different approach each child took to dealing with their father’s crimes are psychologically fascinating to study.

Enlightening and a warning to what can happen in America.

This book was interesting in two ways. One, how the children of the worst type of human beings reacted to their Father’s involvement in WWII. Second, a reminder that evil can return again and again if allowed.

Facts

Magic Goebbels first husband, Gunter Quandt, was a Nazi and a financial supporter. During the war he used concentration camp labor in his factories. He was not a German Jew who was put in a concentration camp like the author says. This makes me wonder about her other "facts".

"The families knew nothing" should be the title

This book had potential with the subject matter but what ruined it for me was the constant beating the reader over the head with her view of NAZI's. The author didn't give her readers the benefit of forming their own opinions and felt the need to inject awkward negative opinions about these famous Nazi's that didn't add to the story at all. Also, the author made it clear she thought that the families and generations after should pay for what their Nazi family members did and should forever feel the guilt or shame for atrocities they were not part of. The authors opinion that NAZI idealism & the violence that went with it can and will be in the actual blood of descendants, which is not true. I believe the children of the 3rd Reich, which there were thousands, lived like normal children as any child of any service member nowadays. The 3rd Reich children were shamed into taking on the burden of what their parents did and paid the price by having breakdowns and mental disorders brought by people who wanted revenge but weren't able to take revenge on the actual perpetrators. Hind sight will always be 20 20.

Informative and dull

The monotone voice of the reader makes it hard to stay interested. I zoned out a lot of it. It was very dry, but informative.