LIFE AND DEATH IN THE THIRD REICH

Peter Fritzsche writes a well-researched analysis of how the German people accepted Nazism. By examining documents of a few subjects, chosen because they had written diaries and letters between 1933 and 1945, he studies how the Nazis infiltrated the political and social machinery of Germany. He also investigates racial attitudes as the Reich's fortunes waxed and waned. Narrator David Zinn treats the material like a thoughtful essay. He embellishes the work by synchronizing his inflections with the content, sounding animated without raising his voice, and finding comfort with the abundant Teutonic terms. The narrator’s merit comes from what he avoids—causing any unwelcome distraction. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2010]