My Father's Keeper: Children of Nazi Leaders: An Intimate History of Damage and Denial

Found this book interesting. A small journey into psychology. Seeing how various Nazi related children have dealt through their lives with the legacy offered by their fathers. Understanding how their fathers managed to juggle their regime duties and family duties. Also found it interesting to note the different styles of coping between sons and daughters.

I had always wondered what happened to the children of the Nazi leaders that survived the Allied occupation. And if you've been wondering the same thing, then this is the book for you. It's composed of multiple interviews, some of which were taken by Norbert Lebert in 1959 and then followed up on by his son Stephan years later. The interviews are eye opening and tragic at the same time. In some we see their struggle between loving their father and at the same time coming to grips with crimes committed by the Third Reich. Highly recommended.

We all know that family is a most important factor in child development. Here is a population that has not really been studied, at least in English language books or research papers. I have not had the chance to really delve into this book but am looking for knowledge and understanding.

good

An addition to the subject of evil and how the subsequent generations handle such in their families.

Only touched a hugely interesting topic and could have read more. I assume the author was limited by how much the "children" were willing to share. A very interesting look at post war Germany which I hadn't explored before.

What an interesting look into the living aftermath of Hitler's inner circle. I had never heard of Stille Hilfe before. Fascinating read!!!!!!!!!!!!

Always good to hear others' version.

I found this book very interesting and enjoyed reading it, though it is quite frustrating to read about the children of Nazis who have sympathetic views toward their fathers/Nazis or even outright are now covert Nazis themselves, as in the case of Gudrun Himmer, Wolf-Rudiger Hess, etc. When I first started this book I expected to read that most Nazi offspring were appalled by the actions of their families and it is sad and disappointing - though perhaps unsuprising - that this is not the case. It is also saddening to read about how much Germany took a blind eye and ignored their wrongdoings once Nazi Germany ended; doing their uptmost best to sweep everything underneath the carpet rather than atone or at least acknowledge the sickening actions of the Nazis and their supporters and publicly denounce the party.This book was originally written in German, and there are many names/phrases which remain in the German language intermittently throughout the book. I have been learning German so whilst I could understand most of it, any non-German reader's understanding of the book is not going to be optimal. Which is a shame as it would have taken only a minute to add the translations for English readers at the bottom of each page.But besides this, I enjoyed the book and think it is worth a read.

This book had a lot more potential than what it turned out to be. During the 1950s, the author's father had interviewed a number of children of prominent Nazis. 50 years later, the author returns to these children to see how they are doing. The father's interviews are by far more interesting than the son's. The son uncovers nothing really provocative, and Gudrun Himmler won't even speak to him. Unfortunately, the father, who was himself an active member of the Hitler Youth, had a soft spot for these people. He really makes them out to be victims. And although he is bothered with those children who actively defend their parent's actions and values, as it is obvious they are wrong; he still somehow comes across as a Nazi sympathiser, however harsh that may sound. The son, however, shows no signs of that.The translation is not great and there are a few German cultural and historical references that most English-speaking readers will not understand. However, there is one very worthwhile aspect to this book. The author has examined the role of collective guilt amongst Germans of the Nazi era and their children; and has developed some interesting insights into how this guilt manifests itself. For this, it is worth reading the book. It is a book by a German for Germans, so it is not apologetic in nature, rather it really delves into the psychology of today's Germans.Too bad the author didn't have more to say on the children themselves. Another book is obviously needed.

I thought it was just me when I first read this book and found it so confusing until I had a look through the reviews of several other people to see I was not alone in this.Perhaps the original German is better written but sadly, this does not do it justice which is a great pity as this had the potential to be a fascinating read.The book centers around follow up interviews the author made with various children of leading men in the Nazi German government. While some have come to terms with both themselves and their fathers past others have remained bitter to this day while some even continue to support, at least in principle the theories of their father.Of particular interest were Wolf Rudiger Hess who refused to serve in the army out of protest at his fathers imprisonment while Martin Bormann entered the church and to some extent, found a peace with himself Gurden Himmler and Niklas Frank still suffered from inner battles with themselves on how to reconcile the father with the man that the world has come to know.Fascinating book but you will have to read it twice not least because the narrative is so damn confusing.

Having seen the recent, and excellent television documentary and having an obsession with the question of why human beings are so capable of doing such terrible things,this book (while casting some light on parental loyalties)leaves the reader asking the question of what we would have done, with such an inheritance.The book and movie of "The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas" also laid the question right at our door, and in our face,also.The trials at Nuremburg went some way to casting a light on such horrible thinking processes.Any education system worth its salt should, always, be addressing human behaviour and its consequences.

I was intrigued when this book caught my attention. It was fascinating to find out what these children ended up doing with their lives. You will feel sympathy for some and nothing for others. What really was the best part for me was the writer and his own journey of self analysis. Enjoyed is not the word I feel I should use with the gravitas of the subject yet it ultimately made me think, sympathise, empathise and want to know more about the lives of these people.