Witnesses of War: Children's Lives Under the Nazis

[Reid1986]

This is a great book that I read as part of an university German history course. Like the title says it focuses on World War II's effect on the children of Europe. The author, Nicholas Stargardt writes beautifully and depicts a highly informative and moving text that seeks to understand war through the eyes of the most unwilling victims.

The book details children of Germany, Poland, and Russia mainly and it goes a great length toward helping its reader to understand how it would have been to come to adulthood through such extraordinary times. Particularly vivid are the segments of the book that describe the brutal ethnic cleansing of the German people themselves as well as the descriptions of life in the Polish ghettos.

The book is exceptional for those in taking a very unique look at World War II by an author who seeks answers throughout the complete disillusionment of global war experienced by children.

Has anyone else read it? I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in the subject matter. There are also a wealth of maps, extremely readable history and case studies of individuals effect by the war.

[Jim]

Hello Reid1986 and welcome to war44.

Thanks for the run down of this book, you may have sold it to me as i like what you have written about it.. Gees, another book on my ever growing list of books to buy..