Berlin Diary, by William L. Shirer

[DATo]

I have just completed Berlin Diary by William Shirer, the award winning author of The Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich.

This nonfiction book is the daily diary of a journalist living in Nazi Germany during the period prior to and including the opening of World War II. It tells of the struggle to provide accurate radio newscasts to America (which was not in the war yet) by a commentator who was both regaled and threatened by the Nazi government at the same time. The book is resplendent with the description of anecdotal events and personalities Shirer encountered. One example involves the descriptions of the bombing by British planes and their effect described in contrast to the propaganda offered by the Nazi government which stated that the Brits were only bombing defenseless civilians.

I would heartily recommend this book for those interested in this period of history or to anyone interested in reading what it is like to be a journalist who is deeply committed to his vocation.

[Duende Knocking]

I have read this! It's been a while (probably 8 years?) but I do remember really enjoying it. I had read and liked The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich and wanted to learn a bit more about the man who dedicated so much of his time to the work, so I found Berlin Diary as a result.

If you can find an early edition of Viereck's Metapolitics, you might enjoy that for another perspective on American writers trying to bring awareness to the States about the war prior to the nation's entry into it. He's more academic than journalist, but it's an interesting read! It's since been revised a couple of times, but I have found that the 1941 edition isn't too hard to find in libraries.