Gebhard served in the German Army in World War I, but Heinrich, who at 18 was still an officer cadet when the war ended, was too young to see frontline service. Her book traces the lives of the three Himmler brothers (the eldest was Gebhard Himmler), the sons of a respected secondary school headmaster in Munich. I think Katrin Himmler has been very brave to tackle this subject , imagine having had Heinrich in YOUR family ? That she was able to take on the challenge of writing about a relative which most people would never admit to, and to do so in such a candid and objective manner is admirable. This is a very well-written and profoundly honest story of the family of a monster - but an ordinary man who lived in extraordinary times.

It should be read not only by anyone who is interested in the history of the period but also by everyone who doesn't want to see it repeated. But his actions cast a large shadow that the rest of the family were standing in, many of them hiding in there. Originally written as self-therapy, the book stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of guilt the Nazis left behind for future generations. The Himmler Brothers raises more questions than it answers, but that doesn't lessen in the slightest my admiration of Katrin Himmler for having written it.She decided to investigate and, using documents, letters and interviews, she uncovered the story her family had kept hidden. Katrin Himmler's book is important: in its meticulous detail, we see the enduring truth of the phrase "the banality of evil". Come down the travelators, exit Sainsbury's, turn right and follow the pedestrianised walkway to Crown Walk and turn right - and Coles will be right in front of you. I would say this is a must read ,and could be used in schools as part of the curriculum when teaching what intolerance leads to , Fascists whichever colour , pray on ignorance and the ignorant to further their ends ,it should be noted that both the Hitler family and the Himmler family were both Catholic and much of their influences originated from that belief system , it is shown that Heinrich in particular was very pious ,although not necessarily the dominant one in his early life , he very often scolded his brothers for minor insurrections and also had an inferiority complex due to being weak due to illness ,he was also very poor at sport as a result , I think in later life he just wanted to Be Somebody ,and with the ingrained militarism and religious background of the family we all know which path he chose . She interweaves each brother's story of their journey as a soldier during World War I through to their involvement in the Nazi Party and their work during the war.

For her this was a turning point: she realised once and for all just how deeply her grandfather and her great-uncle Gebhard were in thrall to their brother's murderous racial policies. Fischer Verlag and in 2007 in English by Macmillan as The Himmler Brothers: A German Family History.This may result in small marks to the dustjacket and title page, please also bear in mind that each signature will be a little different from the one we show here. The shame seems understandable from Katrin Himmler's own father's perspective as he is one of the children born to these brothers. Yes', she stammered, at which there was a deathly hush in the classroom and the teacher, embarrassed and unsure, quickly moved the lesson on. In the latter part of the book it is almost fitting that we discover her partner is Jewish and they have a half-Jewish child.

Her book “Die Brüder Himmler” was published in 2005 and translated into English in 2007, ‘The Himmler Brothers’ (Pan Macmillan), it has been translated into more than ten languages. Her most disturbing discovery was that her grandfather had directly caused the deportation and death of a Jewish engineer, a Major Schmidt, deputy manager of an engineering firm, who had been protected because of his expertise. It seems a metaphoric turning of her back on the dark heritage she can never escape from - but she and her partner have agreed that they are determined to make their child understand where he comes from. What was surprising was the intense nationalism and militarism which permeated German culture as well as the intense pride Germans held for their past. There are parallels , extremism ,this time of a religious nature is rearing its ugly head again throughout the world ,again ordinary well educated individuals are having their minds poisoned by a few who simply want power for themselves ,collectively we have the power to nip it in the bud and banish it forever , but do we have the courage ?It provides detailed descriptions of the way Nazism developed and the part her grandfather and his two elder brothers played in the rise of the Nazis. This book is a remarkable document - it seems quite apparent that the 1939-1945 years of the family tree should have been expunged but Katrin seems to want to explain that history is what happened and this is why these three brothers took the paths they did.

He brought his brothers and family down with him and the book shows how self delusion can mask the most horrible of crimes against humanity. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. This young woman had to endure the embarrassment of being asked such a question in her history class as a 15 year old; she cannot be blamed for what has happened - that's an accident of birth. It shows the relationship and set of circumstances after WW1 that brought Hitler and his gang of criminals to power !

As she grew older, Katrin gave her family history a wide berth, but married to an Israeli whose family was confined to the Warsaw Ghetto and with a young, half-Jewish son, she realizes that she cannot evade the past so easily. It is not the authoritative book on Heinrich Himmler but does lend context and perspective on the man. It is an intriguing insight into a nobody who became totally corrupt with his misguided and evil credo and who never knew when to stop.