Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for an advanced audiobook of The Nazi Mind.

Firstly, the title and synopsis, I do not feel is an accurate description of this book. If you are expecting a psychologically focused book about the Nazi's (like I was), you will be disappointed. The actual psychological aspects felt like token pieces added in random places and made up probably less than 10% of the book. If however, you love history, you will devour this book. It was very well researched and written and presented in a chronological manner that was interesting and engaging. What I found most horrifying though, were the similarities between the Nazi regime and the current Trump MAGA, truly frightening.

The audio was good, neither exceptional nor bad. The narration was clear and listenable. I had to play with the speed before getting it the way I liked.

Overall, a good read for history buffs.

Rating: 3.25/5

This is the book I've been hoping for! It's an excellent read for anyone even remotely interested in the current political climate in the United States. If that's not you, but you love history, then it's still an excellent read for you!

This book goes on a deep dive into Germany leading up to, during, and after WWII. I say Germany, not the Nazis, as there are discussions about people who were not Nazis. The book discusses a wide range of topics and delves into how and why tactics used were successful.

For our current times-- this book is a terrifying warning. Current politics are not discussed, but the similarities of what is happening today and what happened then is impossible to miss.

For history-- what more can a history buff want? I have been interested in WWII, and particularly the Third Reich, since high school. I was fascinated by the government system and how everything came about. How did the activities of the Holocaust happen? How were so many people swayed to believe that it was the right thing to happen, and how was it all done through the government? It created a life-long passion for governmental systems. It led to my majoring in Political Science in college then going on to get my law degree.

I have read a lot of books about WWII. Many of the books discuss the same events and topics with nothing new to offer. The portion of the book I found most interesting was the discussion on distancing oneself from the acts. The book explains that it is psychologically easier for people to commit an act if they don't have to look someone in the eye when it's happening. Discussions on how those high up in the regime took into consideration the psychological effects on party members were particularly interesting to me.

If you want a brief overview of the Nazi regime, this isn't the book for you. If you are looking for something that assumes you already know the names of all the players and will give you new information, then this is absolutely the book for you!

I listened to the audiobook, and I think the narrator did a fantastic job. He spoke a bit slowly, so I did speed it up to 1.2x. An audiobook of this length and of this subject matter could fall into the trap of having a monotone narrator. This narrator perfectly avoided the trap. His voice was clear and pleasant.

I took one star off because of the density of the book. It is all pertinent information that belongs in the book, but it does hinder its ability to be a casual read. Personally, I enjoyed the book and all of its contents. It does not get five stars, because it is not a book I would read over and over again.

The book traces the creation of the Nazi party and Hitler's rise to power, as well as how he and the rest of the Nazi officials exercised the power entrusted to them by the German people. It follows their action from the very start until the very end of the war and the fall of the Nazi Party and Hitler’s suicide. It also touches on the development and processes after the war.
There are countless chilling similarities to what we can see happening right now all over the world, though these ties are not surprising, as history, after all, is often repeating itself in various ways and forms.
The book is full of interesting as well as horrifying insights from the very start, and even though I have studied modern history at university and I have a full bachelor's degree in Area studies, I found out a lot of new interesting information I hadn’t heard before. Such as the German narratives towards Woodrow Wilson’s 14 points, or the connection between the rule of law and the narrative of Jewish collective blame, as well as the horrific details of how they acted towards Jews-especially in Poland, and so much more.
I also very much appreciate the mention of women in this time, as they are often forgotten in history or their roles are marginalized.
I loved the part at the start, where this book was described as "not a sociology book informed by history but a history book informed by sociology" - very fitting explanation.
The narration is amazing, the voice is very soothing, and it gripped me immediately. Would 100 % recommend this book to literally everyone.

Laurence Rees’s “The Nazi Mind” begins by establishing the historical context surrounding the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party. He incorporates testimonies from contemporary witnesses to reinforce his arguments. While the ascent of Hitler and his party aligns with the typical socio-economic and political factors of the time, Rees delves deeper, exploring various phenomena such as the normalisation of extreme violence through modern psychological frameworks. His twelve warnings serve as a cautionary guide, allowing readers to draw parallels between the Nazi regime and other potential single-party states, both past and present. This multifaceted approach enhances our understanding of historical events and prompts critical reflection on contemporary political dynamics.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the Audio ARC!

The Nazi Mind is an interesting look into the psychology of Fascism in general, and specifically the psychology of Hitler's Germany. It's not necessarily a historic account, but more a dissection and analysis of the ways that Hitler was able to influence the thinking of an entire nation. Interesting read if you enjoy psychology and World War II history.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audio book.

This did not do it for me. I DNF- so this is not a totally honest review. Could not get into it, maybe it was the narrator? NOt sure what I expected, but this was not it.


How could the Nazis have committed the crimes they did? Why did commandants of concentration and death camps willingly – often enthusiastically – oversee mass murder? How could ordinary Germans have tolerated the removal of the Jews? In THE NAZI MIND, bestselling author Laurence Rees combines history and the latest research in psychology to help answer some of the most perplexing questions surrounding the Second World War and the Holocaust.

Ultimately, he delves into the darkness to explain how and why these people were capable of committing the worst crime in the history of the world. Rees traces the rise and eventual fall of the Nazis through the lens of ‘twelve warnings’ – from talk about ‘them’ and ‘us’ to the escalation of racism – whilst also highlighting signs to look out for in present day leaders.

Rees uses previously unpublished testimony from former Nazis and those who grew up in the Nazi system, and in-depth psychological insights including cutting edge work on obedience, authority and the brain. THE NAZI MIND is a revelatory new way of understanding how so many people committed the most appalling crime of the 20th century.

This book is very interesting. The research that wouldn’t this book started in the 1990s when more people were still alive that lived during World War II that were able to comment on what really happened.
Right off an interesting idea was brought up, you weren’t there we all know that with the Nazis during World War II was atrocity, but we weren’t there. We don’t know what was going on in the average German citizens brain. And the author compared that to the 1960s how being gay was wrong and how people treated gays. That same analogy can be made in the south when slavery was banished, but blacks were seen as second class citizens. This book really dives into that from the start, people always have bias and why we have it and how it has changed over time but is still there.
We like to act that we are above but truth is unless faced with the situation we don’t truly know how we will act.
The book then goes into WWI how it shaped Germany as well as the fact the Germany was uniting for the first time.

I saw someone on Goodreads who said "Alternate Title: The MAGA Mind" and that could not be more accurate.

Reading this book was more than just a horrifying look at Germany's dark history -- it was genuinely scary. I'm a horror aficionado. I DEVOUR horror novels like an unsupervised kid eats candy. But this book was truly terrifying.

Not because it was a horror novel, of course, but because so many things Hitler said and did are happening in the United States right now. The alienating and shutting down of the free press, the propagation of the "contaminated blood" myth, the vilifying and demonizing of political adversaries. We can simply turn on the news today and hear about it all.

To read that this was exactly how it started then is just.... breathtakingly awful.

I've read several books about Hitler and the Nazi regime, of course, and this one doesn't really introduce any new concepts or information. What it DOES do is put it all into one extensive, cohesive narrative.

It's long and reads much like a history book, but the parallels a modern-day reader can draw between it and the current political climate of the US are unbelievable.

I enjoy how the author makes the book easily accessible to readers of all levels without "dumbing it down." He explains the complex machinations of Hitler's political agenda in a non-condescending way that most people can still comprehend.

Additionally, to my remembrance, Rees never overtly calls out Trump, MAGA, or modern politicians of any kind. Still, the similarities are glaringly obvious. These 12 warnings are a thinly veiled call to Americans to wake up and smell the fascism. Let's hope enough people read it and take note.

(Note: Because of its subject matter, the book does contain some very graphic scenes -- Nazi soldiers recounting their misdeeds, etc. Consider that before jumping into it if you're easily triggered.)

Also, the rating is 4 stars instead of 5 because it can be very dry. (Not the subject matter -- but the narration.) At times, it was hard to stay focused because the narration style was very slow and lacking in emotion.

This title was very well written. The examples given throughout the book were thought-provoking, enlightening, and scary. The final chapter on the actual 12 lessons was eye-opening. And in each and every one I saw examples of in events happening today in the US. Shocking and sad that we as a people are so easily manipulated. The collective "WE" don't learn from history.

This isn’t necessarily anything new on the topic. It is done in an excellent way however. This does read more like a history textbook/lesson. It is very informative and interesting.

I listened to the audiobook of this. The narrator, John Sackville, did a great job and I loved his British accent.

I will say I think this book might be better to have a copy of the book with you while listening. It is a lot of information to digest.

Thank you Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the advanced audiobook. All opinions are my own.

This is a totally fascinating book which looks into the methods used to gain the approval for the horrific time of Nazi power during World War Two. Why did people accept and revere Adolf Hitler and how could many justify the murder of millions? He starts this history from the 1920s.

Very well written and very well narrated book (I listened to the audiobook). I can only recommend this book if you want to learn more about violent ideology and the use of sophisticated propaganda. Gives us a fresh understanding of this regime.

The Nazi Mind is a psychological and historical review of the events that lead up to the Nazi mindset. Early on Rees sets the stage with the analysis that to understand is not to excuse and I think that is exactly what happened in this novel. Throughout the novel we are able to understand what lead up to so many different individuals buying into the regime and while that may not excuse the behavior, it does lead to the question, “what would you do in this situation.”