Living in the Third Reich (Hardback)

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I found this book by Dr. Patrick Labriola that featured first hand accounts of civilians living and growing up in Nazi Germany to be interesting and fascinating. When it comes to Nazi Germany, I typically stick to reading historical fiction as opposed to non fiction, but I am glad I got the chance to read this book. The firsthand accounts/oral histories featured in the book were captivating and allowed me to learn so much new information about what it was like for everyday Germans who were living under the rule of Adolf Hitler. It was sad to read about how German citizens were treated by the younger generation in Germany after the war and how they were blamed for the events that led up to Adolf Hitler's rise to power as well as for Germany being on the losing side of the war. I liked how the book was structured and how Labriola used open ended questions with the participants and allowed them to speak freely about their wartime experiences. This book is so important as it features firsthand accounts from those who are often marginalized in society. I am glad that these stories are being preserved as they are highly essential to understanding what it was like being someone who lived in Nazi Germany and who dealt with the social and political effects of such a destructive regime.

NetGalley, Sabrina Sumair

In Living in the Third Reich, Dr. Patrick Labriola presents a sobering and deeply human collection of oral histories from Germans who lived through the Nazi era. Drawing on firsthand accounts, this volume captures the intimate, often harrowing experiences of individuals caught within one of history’s most destructive regimes. With quiet rigor and ethical sensitivity, Labriola curates voices that are often marginalized in popular and academic discussions of the Second World War: ordinary Germans—children and mothers —whose daily lives unfolded in the shadow of Hitler’s Third Reich.

The book’s strength lies in its commitment to preserving these memories without judgment or apology. Instead of asking readers to sympathize, Labriola asks us to listen and to give space and grace to understand the confusion, fear, complicity, indoctrination, and, occasionally, resistance that shaped these lives. The testimonies are not unified by ideology but by a shared sense of surviving history, often without fully understanding its weight until decades later.

>From a historiographical standpoint, Living in the Third Reich is a vital contribution. Oral history remains one of the most contested and yet essential methods in reconstructing the past, especially when dealing with personal memory, trauma, and the moral complexities of ordinary life under authoritarian rule. Labriola's work helps fill a gap in the historical record; one that too often excludes the perspectives of those who lived inside Nazi Germany but were neither architects of policy nor formal resisters. These are the voices of the “gray zone,” to borrow Primo Levi’s term: those who endured, obeyed, questioned, or remained silent.

What emerges is not a defense of the past but an act of remembrance. As the generation who lived through World War II fades into history, Living in the Third Reich takes on an urgent relevance. Fewer and fewer are left to tell these stories. And while many may not want to hear them, they are essential to preserving the full scope of human experience in the 20th century. Labriola gives these individuals space to speak in their own words, without imposing moral conclusions, so that the historical record might better reflect the messy, painful reality of life under dictatorship.
This book is a powerful reminder that history is not only written in grand events or political decisions, but also in the quiet moments of memory—some painful, some shameful, all necessary to confront. For scholars, educators, and anyone committed to understanding the human dimensions of history, Living in the Third Reich is a deeply important work.

NetGalley, Angela Dean

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This book is a window into the lives and experiences of ordinary people living in Germany and occupied territories during WWII. It exposes some terrible events and experiences but also highlights the simple truth - war impacts all and we are all humans, regardless of the “side” we are on. The author presents the material very plainly and without analysis, adding power to the individual voices. There is no judgement. The roles played in the war are irrelevant. It is simply an opportunity to gain insight into what people experienced and how they remember it. And this makes the book incredibly powerful.

NetGalley, Louise Gray

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This book describes personal stories of people who lived during and before WWII in Nazi Germany. It is interesting to read how these individuals were affected by the war. Although many claim to have not been Nazis or know of concentration camps, these same people did not help any one who was persecuted by the Nazis. They just fell inline with the government where they placed their trust. The book rings familiar to some of the political ideas that are happening today. It is frightening in that manner. Overall it was a good read providing insight to one of the most horrific times in the world.

NetGalley, Pam Furnary