The Nightmare Years, 1930-1940 Lib/E: 1930-1940(2 Twentieth Century Journey Series Lib/E)

The famous journalist and author of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich documents his front-row seat at the pivotal events leading up to World War II. In the second of a three-volume series, William L. Shirer tells the story of his own eventful life, detailing the most notable moments of his career as a journalist stationed in Germany during the rise of the Third Reich. Shirer was there while Hitler celebrated his new domination of Germany, unleashed the Blitzkrieg on Poland, and began the conflict that would come to be known as World War II. This remarkable account tells the story of an American reporter caught in a maelstrom of war and politics, desperately trying to warn Europe and the United States about the dangers to come. This memoir gives readers a chance to relive one of the most turbulent periods in twentieth century history--painting a stunningly intimate portrait of a dangerous decade.

About the Author :
William L. Shirer (1904-1993) was an American journalist and war correspondent. He wrote The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, a history of Nazi Germany that has been read by many and cited in scholarly works for more than fifty years and was #1 New York Times bestseller. Originally a foreign correspondent for the Chicago Tribune and the International News Service, he was the first reporter hired by Edward R. Murrow for what would become a CBS radio team of journalists known as "Murrow's Boys." He reported from Berlin for the Universal News Service and for CBS on the rise of the Nazis, and he covered their fall as a war correspondent. Out of these reports grew his other New York Times bestsellers Berlin Diary, The Nightmare Years, End of a Berlin Diary, Midcentury Journey, and The Collapse of the Third Republic. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich sold more copies for the Book-of-the-Month Club than any other book in the club's history. Grover Gardner is an award-winning narrator with over a thousand titles to his credit. Named one of the "Best Voices of the Century" and a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, he has won three prestigious Audie Awards, was chosen Narrator of the Year for 2005 by Publishers Weekly, and has earned more than thirty Earphones Awards.

Review :
"Mr. Shirer stirs the ashes of memory in a personal way that results in both a strong view of world events and of the need for outspoken journalism. Had Mr. Shirer been merely a bland 'objective' reporter without passion while covering Hitler's Third Reich, this book and his other histories could never have been written." -- "New York Times" "The rise of the Third Reich achingly relived; the foreign correspondent's calling displayed....Shirer, astounded by the Germans' enthusiasm for Hitler, their docility under repression, realizes that they yearn 'to be strong again. He too finds the Fuhrer's eyes hypnotic, his voice mesmerizing. He reports church persecution--excessively: resistance made news, but most were untouched, unconcerned...Shirer is scathing, throughout, about Chamberlain--and merciless about Munich...In 1940, hamstrung by the Nazis, Shirer leaves...and [is], on a private level, both frank and gracious." -- "Kirkus Reviews"