Goebbels

Rating:
Summary: Pedantic and poorly written
Review: Reuth claims he embarked on this biography of Hitler's Propaganda Minister because there weren't any good books on Goebbels. Not only is this balderdash, his offering is the weakest Goebbels biography in recent memory. The writing style is extremely pedantic, plodding, slow-as-molasses and tedious. Goebbels was an extremely complex, brilliant, devious man, but you'll not encounter much of him here. Reuth inexplicably chooses not to use the copious 1920's Goebbels diaries, which David Irving included in his infinitely superior biography of "the little dwarf."

This book is heavily weighted towards Goebbels role in WWII Berlin, which is curiously among the least-interesting periods of his life. Utterly glossed over are the most engrossing years of the "Kampfzeit" in the 20's, where Goebbels was a discipline of Gregor Strasser and then only came under Hitler's spell once he met him. Then it was no turning back. There is shockingly little interest displayed here in Goebbels' fascinating private life. Magda, his wife, is scarcely mentioned, nor is Lida Baarova, the Czech actress that Goebbels fell in love with in 1938.

A chilly, disappointing read. Not recommended.

Rating:
Summary: hard cold look at propogandist
Review: Settle in and concentrate on this slow hard look at Goebbels. If you are into detail on National Socialist interparty politics, this is the book. This guy was pure evil. He is the only figure surrounding Hitler that can actually eclipse the Fuhrer's ugliness.

Rating:
Summary: Slow-going, packed with details
Review: This is not a light and fluffy biography. Reuth has put an amazing amount of scholastic work into reconstructing the life of Goebbels. Be warned, however, that the book is slow-going, and often tedious.