Sometimes you're just in the mood for nonfiction. I was in that kind of mood the day I began combing the new releases over on NetGalley. When I stumbled across Nazi Wives: The Women at the Top of Hitler's Germany by James Wyllie (St. Martin's Press, 2020, I knew I needed to read that. How could they? Why would these women support something so heinous? What was wrong with them that they were all in on such devastation? My request was accepted, and, with some trepidation, I began reading. This is *not* an easy subject to read, and James Wyllie pulls no punches in laying it all out there. He's never gratuitous and there are only a few sections where he goes into any graphic detail, but brace yourself, because this is a tough read.

The last names of Hitler's most loyal followers are known to those who are familiar with the history of World War II and the horrors of the Holocaust, but those last names also belonged to the wives of those monsters. Emmy Goering, Magda Goebbels, Gerda Bormann, Lina Heydrich, Margarete Himmler, these were the women married to the men who perpetrated untold horrors upon their fellow man, and most of the wives were fierce antisemites before marrying their husbands. They were all in on their own, zero convincing necessary, a thought that will chill you throughout the book.

Because this book is chilling. Knowing the outcome of their attitudes makes Nazi Wives an emotionally difficult read, but what makes it even harder is Mr. Wyllie's pairing of the horror with the wives' more blasé complaints about the disappointments and difficulties of such mundane things as their husbands' work schedules and their marital struggles- things for which readers might have had sympathy if not for the untold deaths stemming from their husbands' blind allegiance to Hitler. At least some of these women knew what their husbands were doing and how Jewish people were being slaughtered; that Mr. Wyllie is able to contrast so effectively the wives' selfishness with their inability to view the humanity of the people suffering around them, makes the book that more gut-wrenching. The one wife who seems to have some tattered shreds of humanity remaining is shown to be dismissive and cavalier at the book's end; there are no heroes in this story.

If you're looking for nonfiction that reads like a novel, Nazi Wives isn't *quite* there, but Wyllie's literary treatment of unfathomably horrible people is engaging- though stomach-turning- for the average reader who's looking to expand their knowledge on the history behind the monsters responsible for World War II and the Holocaust. You'll want to send your copy of the book flying across the room multiple times per chapter because the stories inside are just so awful, but you'll walk away with a clearer picture of who these monsters were, and a sense of dread for what we're once again facing as fascism rises again around the world.

Nazi Wives: The Women at the Top of Hitler's Germany was originally released in 2019, but it's up for a re-release on November 3, 2020.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a review copy!

An excellent history of the Third Reich from a very different perspective. Insanely well researched and presented. Only criticism is I would like to see the women's last names used more, as it is hard to keep track (if I read fiction, I probably wouldn't have this problem). Overall, highly recommended for anyone remotely interested in history.

I found this to be an enjoyable, casual read. The lack of attention paid to the wives and families of Nazi Germany's powerful leaders leaves us with an interesting question as to why they have so long been left out of the narrative and analysis. I believe Wyllie brings up a good point in that discussing these women and the families of high-ranking S.S. members may appear to soften their appearance, lessen their crimes, and remind readers that Goebbels and Bormann were "human" as well. Nonetheless, I also think the discussion of some of the women's active role in the party and active belief and excitement for the Nazi ideology can be difficult to write about.
Although I wish Wyllie spent more time engaging with theories, such as briefly mentioned above, the book is interesting and enjoyable.

This book was really interesting, I have read many books about WWII, but never a book like this.
This book focuses on the women who loved and supported the men in Hitlers inner circle.
It also looked at the relationship Hitler himself had with many of these women, and the hold he had on them.
Well researched and well written.

I feel strange saying that I enjoyed this book. Because it’s just horrible how these women were so blind to what was going on. And the lives they lived during WWII is disgusting when so many suffered. It was well written but it does get confusing with all the names...