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  • Berlin Diary

  • The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent, 1934–1941
  • Written by: William L. Shirer
  • Narrated by: Tom Weiner
  • Length: 15 hrs and 59 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (25 ratings)

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Berlin Diary

Written by: William L. Shirer
Narrated by: Tom Weiner
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Publisher's Summary

By the acclaimed journalist and New York Times best-selling 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 in 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.

©1941 William L. Shirer (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What the critics say

“The most complete news report yet to come out of wartime Germany.” ( Time)

What listeners say about Berlin Diary

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WWII as current event

Insightful analysis of the dynamics leading up to the US going to war against Nazi Germany.  An American perspective, Shirer's stay in Berlin, along with his years in Europe from the mid 20s, and having contacts on all sides together combine to give him a uniquely informed voice and acumen.   A great listen for those interested in journalistic account rendered day by day in the times leading up to US involvement in the European theatre of the Second World War.

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True story that shows how easy people can be brainwashed

Really lovely personal memories of someone who was able to see the both sides of the story. He saw what effect not having full story it had on regular people who were drowned into information that their leaders wanted them to hear. This book should be a warning for many young people today who blindly follow their leaders in social, political and other groups.
It gives the behind the scenes view into events that took place almost a hundred years ago, and we know what happened in Europe after the author left for USA.
This book screams to the reader - don’t believe to everything you are told to believe, look for facts, different opinions yourself, otherwise you turn into sheepish crowd following the drummer...

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It takes You There

William Shirer was an American reporter who lived in Germany during Hitler's rise to power until early 1941. He watched with some bewilderment how Hitler gained control of Germany, bluffed his way to taking over large parts of Europe,, built up Germany's powerful armed forces and went far towards attaining his dream of controlling and reshaping the world. Shirer kept a diary in which he wrote down what he observed, heard, and experienced, and his reflections and speculations about why things were happening. I have read extensively about World War II, including Shirer's landmark book "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, but this book gives me the viewpoint of someone living through a big part of that history as it was happening, and not knowing how things would develop in the future. This book takes you there in a way that no book written afterwards can.

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Masterful narration of a haunting time

Tom Weiner captures the irony, sarcasm, and astute observations of Shirer during the lead-up and beginning of the WWII, mostly from the lion’s den itself. What happened then is hauntingly being played out again today. Hopefully Democratic governments learn the lessons of history.

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