The epic biographies of Hitler and the Third Reich--Shirer, Kershaw, et al--take thousands of pages collectively to try to explain the man, his twisted beliefs, and the catastrophe that followed.

Sometimes a narrowly focused book can shed almost as much light. In Peter Ross Range's 1924: The Year That Made Hitler, you get a far deeper, more comprehensive understanding of the man and his times than you might expect. In one respect, it's the detailed, colorful account of the single year spanning Hitler's aborted putsch and jail term. In another, thanks to Range's clear, lucid power of synthesis, it tells the story whole, summing up the several decades that plunged the world into madness and holocaust.

I'm a World War II buff, and I found fresh insight into Hitler's character, including the moments in 1924 when, writing his thousand-page rant, Mein Kampf, the jailed rabble rouser crystallized his twisted theories into an unshakeable belief in himself as a man of destiny.

For readers who think of this as ancient history, Range's description of Hitler's ability during his trial to convert skeptics into passionate supporters by rambling speeches full of insults, bravado, brutal slogans, and dire promises of forced immigration and war, the U.S. presidential campaign of 2016 can seem familiar.

(As to its relevance to Americans, it's interesting how, in ways small and large, U.S. culture figured in Hitler's formation. From his brand-new American Remington typewriter to his early absorption in Henry Ford's anti-Semitic tracts, there's plenty of local news.) But it's Range's power of concision and summary that makes this the smart, knowledgeable shortcut to a fuller understanding of the 20th century's most tragic conflict.

Poster Comment:

---readers who think of this as ancient history, Range's description of Hitler's ability during his trial to convert skeptics into passionate supporters by rambling speeches full of insults, bravado, brutal slogans, and dire promises of forced immigration and war, the U.S. presidential campaign of 2016 can seem familiar.