Frauen: German Women Recall the Third Reich

by Alison Owings

Book Overview

What were the women of Germany doing during the Third Reich? What were they thinking? And what do they have to say a half century later?

In Frauen we hear their voices--most for the first time. Alison Owings interviewed and here records the words of twenty-nine German women who were there: Working for the Resistance. Joining the Nazi Party. Outsmarting the Gestapo. Disliking a Jewish neighbor. Hiding a Jewish friend. Witnessing "Kristallnacht."...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0813522005
• ISBN13: 9780813522005
• Release Date: February 1995
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press
• Length: 536 Pages
• Weight: 1.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.0" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Excellent, Fairly Unbiased.

The interviewer was superb. I finished the book thinking,” Wow. You did a great job listening to these women without putting much, if any, personal input.” I was also left with the feeling that this is the type of journalism and interview style that should be the norm. It was a pleasure to read something so well thought out; the work put in does not go unnoticed.

Marvelous writing

Frauen offers good insight into the lives of German women during the Third Reich. If some questions are left unanswered, it can be attributed to the women interviewed and not to the author, who had done her homework well and asked direct questions. Having lived in postwar Germany and received the same evasive answers, I was able to nod a hearty Ja to her frustrations. The only "fault" I found with the book, and it may not have been a grave one, was that most of the women came from eastern Germany. I longed to hear from more western Germans. All in all, however, this is an excellent book, one that should sound some warnings to present day readers.

One of the best books I've ever read

This book is incredible, one I'll re-read several times through the years. I've been living in Germany for the past three years, and will soon return to America. The people here, while VERY friendly, are quite reserved, so it's amazing that Alison Owings was able to get so many women from that era to open up about this sensitive subject. Not only do I applaud Ms. Owings's effort, but I thank the women who shared their lives and thoughts with her. We should never be afraid to look at the past - even the horrors.

What history is all about

Yes, Alison Owings writes more like a journalist than a historian. No matter. This is an excellent book and well worth reading. While Owings is much more "present" in the book than your typical historian, she writes with a raw honesty that compensates for any lack of subtlety on her part. Fundamentally, her work is an exploration of complex ethical decisions and her own reactions to them. Their story becomes part of Owings's story, and that's what history is all about. Some reviewers criticized her for not writing the book they wanted her to write. This is an unfair criticism, but does show that the topic is not exhausted. Another reviewer criticized her approach to oral history, with which, as a historian, I found no fault. I highly recommend this book for lay readers with an interest in the social history of the Third Riech. Readers who liked this book may also like Philip Hallie's LEST INNOCENT BLOOD BE SHED.

frauen

i am german, 45 years of age, living in the u.s. since 1991. i grew up with the so-called guilt and shame of the post-war generation who was trying to understand. this book is so incredible. you do not need to study history. all answers, if there is ever any good ones, are in this book. it reflects the times the way i read about it and learned about it from personal encounters. it is a very brave, very well researched, brutally honest book. it helped me a lot to understand better. i know some germans' answers including my parents' who are now in their seventies. i cannot imagine americans being able to understand the stories of the women that were interviewed. this book should have the highest ratings. live is too good and sophisticated in the u.s. especially now half a century after the war. people here have no imagination of how the mindset would have been in a narrow minded society at that time. i feel like i owe alison owings for her phantastic idea and research which brought about a better understanding for me. i am telling all my german friends but cannot find this book translated into german. i am sure germans would be anxious to read this book.

a very enlightening and rewarding book

This book was one of the best books I have ever read.To read about women like myself going through all the trials and tribulations of war really opened up my eyes. The author really did her research,and I felt like I knew these women that she interviewed.I honestly hated to finish the book-I was genuinely concerned about these people and what they went through during WWII.Maybe this book or a book like it should be required reading for all students so they would get a real picture of what war is like:not just the men in uniforms and patriotism for your country,but the real victims of war:women and children.I highly recommend this book.