Witnesses of War: Children's Lives Under the Nazis

Nicholas Stargardt’s book is a unique study of the social history of Nazi Germany through children’s perceptions. The author bases his work on original documents such as teenagers’ diaries, drawings from the ghetto, and letters from various institutions. The book tells the stories of several children of different nationalities who lived in different parts of Germany during the Nazi regime. Stargardt argues that children’s memories can be divided into two groups: those who considered life in Nazi Germany normal, and those who experienced horror. The author breaks stereotypes about victimhood and trauma to tell compelling personal stories—the stories of a generation that grew up during Hitler’s time.