Hitler, My Neighbor

Memories of a Jewish Childhood, 1929-1939

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Pub Date 07 Nov 2017 | Archive Date 07 Nov 2017

Description

An eminent historian recounts the Nazi rise to power from his unique perspective as a Jewish boy growing up in Munich with Adolf Hitler as his neighbor.

Edgar Feuchtwanger came from a prominent German Jewish family: the only son of a respected editor, and the nephew of best-selling writer Lion Feuchtwanger. He was a carefree five-year-old, pampered by his parents and his nanny, when Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazi Party, moved into the building across the street in Munich.
 
In 1933 his happy young life was shattered. Hitler had been named Chancellor. Edgar’s parents, stripped of their rights as citizens, tried to protect him from increasingly degrading realities. In class, his teacher had him draw swastikas, and his schoolmates joined the Hitler Youth.
 
From his window, Edgar bore witness to the turmoil surrounding the Night of the Long Knives, the Anschluss, and Kristallnacht. Jews were arrested; his father was imprisoned at Dachau. In 1939 Edgar was sent on his own to England, where he would make a new life, start a career and a family, and try to forget the nightmare of his past—a past that came rushing back when he decided, at the age of eighty-eight, to tell the story of his buried childhood and his infamous neighbor.
An eminent historian recounts the Nazi rise to power from his unique perspective as a Jewish boy growing up in Munich with Adolf Hitler as his neighbor.

Edgar Feuchtwanger came from a prominent German...

Advance Praise

“An intimate look at the horror wrought by Hitler.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Edgar Feuchtwanger’s captivating memoir brings an enigmatic and terrifying neighbor—glimpsed through a child’s eyes—into the heart of a Jewish family’s home life, where discussions revolve around how to make sense of Germany’s descent into fascism and, ultimately, how to survive it.” —Despina Stratigakos, author of Hitler at Home

“The narrative, presented in a rigorous and pleasant way…harmoniously blends the account of the everyday life of this wealthy, refined, and cultivated Jewish family…and that of political events as they unfolded under their windows.” —Le Figaro

“An intimate look at the horror wrought by Hitler.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Edgar Feuchtwanger’s captivating memoir brings an enigmatic and terrifying neighbor—glimpsed through a child’s eyes—into the heart...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781590518649
PRICE $25.95 (USD)
PAGES 224

Average rating from 11 members


Featured Reviews

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this review copy. I find autobiographies, especially historical ones, interesting so thought I would give this one a go. Granted, it was never going to be an easy read considering the topic. Told from the perspective of Edgar, this recounts the story of being Hitler's neighbour and the horrific sights that he has seen living in the building opposite him. This man has kept a lot of this bottled up over the last 70 odd years following him being sent to England during the war and now feels able to give his story seen through the eyes of the child that he was. Told over the years 1929-1939, this book includes photos of his family taken during this time. Not by any means an easy read, but a very interesting one.

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