This book is so well researched and so well written it gave me nightmares. I had to give up reading it before bedtime because the parallels you see with the Reich and MAGA are scary and I kept telling myself, "how are we here again", "how do people not see this?" everyone should read this book.

Whoever chose the title “The Nazi Mind” didn’t do the author any favors. That title suggests the book is about psychology, but that’s not the focus. It’s helpful to read Rees’s clear introduction to his approach and to take note that this is a history book informed on occasion by psychology, and not a psychology book informed by history. He states flatly that he doesn’t believe it’s helpful to try to psychoanalyze historical persons; it ends up being just speculation and tends to look ridiculous. Rees asserts that it’s a false notion that there is some specific Nazi psychological personality type.

Here are Rees’s 12 warnings:

1. Spreading conspiracy theories
2. Using them and us
3. Leading as a hero
4. Corrupting youth
5. Conniving with the elite
6. Attacking human rights
7. Exploiting faith
8. Valuing enemies
9. Eliminating resistance
10. Escalating racism
11. Killing at a distance
12. Stoking fear

We can certainly recognize these as existing today in the MAGA mind, so you might be expecting this book to draw parallels between the Nazi mind and the MAGA mind. But no, it doesn’t. Instead, each chapter addresses its topic at some length, as it applies to the Nazi era. It’s up to the reader to consider parallels and warnings. Lees has written a lot of books about the Nazi era, including The Nazis: A Warning From History (first published in 1997), The Dark Charisma of Adolf Hitler, How Mankind Committed the Ultimate Infamy at Auschwitz, and his better-known titles, The Holocaust, and Auschwitz. If you’ve already read any of those, you won’t find much new here. But if not, this is a good way of helping you wrap your mind around how easily previously unthinkable things can be brought about in supposedly civilized countries.

This book really opened my eyes to the context of our present day. The historical revelations were significant and highly recommended.

This was a very lengthy book, with an extensive detail and research. It read like a history textbook for a college class, so the tone was quite dry. For research purposes, this book would be an excellent tool.
Due to the subject matter, there are very graphic, disturbing passages.

The parts that stood out to me:
The sections on Holocaust denial, and very chilling reports on how many Nazis “excused” their war time actions.

*I received a digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.*

Very eye opening book for the times that we are living. Many history lessons that I did not know. I would highly recommend this book for the history alone.

What a terrible time In US history for me to be reading this book. Filled with heartbreak and concern, a good read for anyone.