Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent, 1934-1941
Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent, 1934-1941 book cover

Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent, 1934-1941

Audio CD – Unabridged, July 1, 2011

by
Price
$23.07
Publisher
Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1441734129
Dimensions
5.29 x 1.47 x 5.82 inches
Weight
11.5 ounces

Description

''The most complete news report yet to come out of war-time Germany.'' -- Time

Features & Highlights

  • By the acclaimed journalist and bestselling author of
  • The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
  • , this day-by-day, eyewitness account of the momentous events leading up to World War II in Europe is the private, personal, utterly revealing journal of a great foreign correspondent. CBS radio broadcaster William L. Shirer was virtually unknown in 1940 when he decided there might be a book in the diary he had kept in Europe during the 1930s--specifically those sections dealing with the collapse of the European democracies and the rise of Nazi Germany. Shirer was the only Western correspondent in Vienna on March 11, 1938, when the German troops marched in and took over Austria, and he alone reported the surrender by France to Germany on June 22, 1940, even before the Germans reported it. The whole time, Shirer kept a record of events, many of which could not be publicly reported because of censorship by the Germans. In December 1940, Shirer learned that the Germans were building a case against him for espionage, an offense punishable by death. Fortunately, Shirer escaped and was able to take most of his diary with him.
  • Berlin Diary
  • first appeared in 1941, and the timing was perfect. The energy, the passion, and the electricity in it were palpable. The book was an instant success, and it became the frame of reference against which thoughtful Americans judged the rush of events in Europe. It exactly matched journalist to event: the right reporter at the right place at the right time. It stood, and still stands, as so few books have ever done--a pure act of journalistic witness.

Customer Reviews

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Most Helpful Reviews

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First-person historical masterpiece

So there's a lot you could say about this. Intelligent and observant, Shirer happens to be in the heart of the hell that was Germany in the late 1930's. This book in fact covers 1934 through late 1940, matching the heaviest focus of Rise and Fall. Downsides? Shirer is a tad self-occupied, which can be amusing and informative at times and slightly annoying at others, not to Hemingway levels but it's there. This is copyright 1941, and there's rumblings that some of his earlier raves about Nazi Germany got left behind. I don't know if that's true but I could barely believe this was copyright 1941 because Shirer's insights on the future are prescient to say the least. He does everything but predict the eventual Russia vs West showdown. His on and off encounters with the major Fascist players are priceless. I don't give a damn that he didn't have a Phd in History, this sure seems like accurate history from someone in the middle of the fight. I highly recommend this CD, I thought it was better (and certainly less exhaustive) than Rise and Fall. Incomparable reporting of the most important events of the last 200 years.
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