"A Broken Life" by Conrad H. Yarosch Publisher: Guangxi Normal University Press

Introduction
A complete picture of German history in the 20th century, a portrait of "little people" reflecting the great era
From the Nazi dictatorship, World War II, the Holocaust, the Cold War to the fall of the Berlin Wall
In the midst of upheavals filled with killing and death, how do ordinary people rebuild their shattered lives?
「Content Introduction」
The "Weimar Generation" Germans born in the 1920s experienced almost all the important events of the 20th century: the Third Reich, World War II, the Holocaust, post-war reconstruction, Cold War division, and unification and recovery after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Their private lives were rarely closely intertwined with the historical process. When they looked back on their life experiences, their former enthusiasm was disillusioned by seeing the truth about the dictatorship. Some repented, some used ignorance and being deceived as excuses, and some claimed that Germans were also victims to gain sympathy.
Based on first-hand accounts from more than seventy autobiographies and memoirs, Shattered Lives describes 20th century Germany from the perspective of ordinary people. Among them are soldiers who participated in the war on the front lines, as well as women who endured the depression in the rear; there are perpetrators of ethnic cleansing, as well as victims of Nazi atrocities. By re-examining the German national identity, this book attempts to answer: Why did so many people support Hitler's war and the brutality of the Nazis, and how did they eventually break away from racism and dictatorship and embrace human rights again, turning from military invaders into pillars of democracy in Europe.
「Editor's Recommendation」
★ A complete picture of German history in the 20th century, vividly showing the displaced fate of ordinary people in the turbulent times.
Germans born in the 1920s inherited the historical glory of the German Empire and had a happy and free childhood in Weimar. Later, they experienced the Nazi rule, the cruelty of World War II, the sin of the Holocaust, the separation and liquidation of defeat, the division of East and West Germany during the Cold War, and finally welcomed the reunification of East and West Germany in the last stage of their lives. Their lives are a microcosm of world history in the 20th century and the best portrayal of personal destiny in a great era.
★ A portrait of "little people" that reflects the great era, fully presenting the situation and choices of ordinary people at major historical junctures.
The protagonists of this book include soldiers who fought bloody battles on the front lines and women who endured the depression in the rear; perpetrators of ethnic cleansing and victims of Nazi atrocities. Learn why they supported Hitler's war and the Nazi regime, how they separated themselves from racism and the Holocaust, and how they finally understood their own suffering and responsibility for the war, and then experience how ordinary people struggled against the powerful fate and chose their own life path.
★ A real world story that restores the voices of ordinary people and reveals the daily details of ordinary people rebuilding their shattered lives amid dramatic changes.
From World War I to the Great Depression, from the Nazis to World War II, from the Cold War to the fall of the Berlin Wall, the lives of ordinary people in the 20th century were not just a series of major historical events, but also the warmth of dinners with family, playtime with friends, youth swaying to the sound of jazz, warm families established under the threat of death in war, and life rebuilt in the tense situation of the Cold War... The daily lives of these ordinary people are the true face of life.
★ Smithsonian Institution's Best History Book of 2018, Kirkus Reviews' Best Nonfiction Book of 2018, Choice Reviews' Outstanding Academic Book of 2018.