Laurence Rees’s “The Nazi Mind” begins by establishing the historical context surrounding the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party. He incorporates testimonies from contemporary witnesses to reinforce his arguments. While the ascent of Hitler and his party aligns with the typical socio-economic and political factors of the time, Rees delves deeper, exploring various phenomena such as the normalisation of extreme violence through modern psychological frameworks. His twelve warnings serve as a cautionary guide, allowing readers to draw parallels between the Nazi regime and other potential single-party states, both past and present. This multifaceted approach enhances our understanding of historical events and prompts critical reflection on contemporary political dynamics.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the Audio ARC!

The Nazi Mind is an interesting look into the psychology of Fascism in general, and specifically the psychology of Hitler's Germany. It's not necessarily a historic account, but more a dissection and analysis of the ways that Hitler was able to influence the thinking of an entire nation. Interesting read if you enjoy psychology and World War II history.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audio book.

This did not do it for me. I DNF- so this is not a totally honest review. Could not get into it, maybe it was the narrator? NOt sure what I expected, but this was not it.


How could the Nazis have committed the crimes they did? Why did commandants of concentration and death camps willingly – often enthusiastically – oversee mass murder? How could ordinary Germans have tolerated the removal of the Jews? In THE NAZI MIND, bestselling author Laurence Rees combines history and the latest research in psychology to help answer some of the most perplexing questions surrounding the Second World War and the Holocaust.

Ultimately, he delves into the darkness to explain how and why these people were capable of committing the worst crime in the history of the world. Rees traces the rise and eventual fall of the Nazis through the lens of ‘twelve warnings’ – from talk about ‘them’ and ‘us’ to the escalation of racism – whilst also highlighting signs to look out for in present day leaders.

Rees uses previously unpublished testimony from former Nazis and those who grew up in the Nazi system, and in-depth psychological insights including cutting edge work on obedience, authority and the brain. THE NAZI MIND is a revelatory new way of understanding how so many people committed the most appalling crime of the 20th century.

This book is very interesting. The research that wouldn’t this book started in the 1990s when more people were still alive that lived during World War II that were able to comment on what really happened.
Right off an interesting idea was brought up, you weren’t there we all know that with the Nazis during World War II was atrocity, but we weren’t there. We don’t know what was going on in the average German citizens brain. And the author compared that to the 1960s how being gay was wrong and how people treated gays. That same analogy can be made in the south when slavery was banished, but blacks were seen as second class citizens. This book really dives into that from the start, people always have bias and why we have it and how it has changed over time but is still there.
We like to act that we are above but truth is unless faced with the situation we don’t truly know how we will act.
The book then goes into WWI how it shaped Germany as well as the fact the Germany was uniting for the first time.

I saw someone on Goodreads who said "Alternate Title: The MAGA Mind" and that could not be more accurate.

Reading this book was more than just a horrifying look at Germany's dark history -- it was genuinely scary. I'm a horror aficionado. I DEVOUR horror novels like an unsupervised kid eats candy. But this book was truly terrifying.

Not because it was a horror novel, of course, but because so many things Hitler said and did are happening in the United States right now. The alienating and shutting down of the free press, the propagation of the "contaminated blood" myth, the vilifying and demonizing of political adversaries. We can simply turn on the news today and hear about it all.

To read that this was exactly how it started then is just.... breathtakingly awful.

I've read several books about Hitler and the Nazi regime, of course, and this one doesn't really introduce any new concepts or information. What it DOES do is put it all into one extensive, cohesive narrative.

It's long and reads much like a history book, but the parallels a modern-day reader can draw between it and the current political climate of the US are unbelievable.

I enjoy how the author makes the book easily accessible to readers of all levels without "dumbing it down." He explains the complex machinations of Hitler's political agenda in a non-condescending way that most people can still comprehend.

Additionally, to my remembrance, Rees never overtly calls out Trump, MAGA, or modern politicians of any kind. Still, the similarities are glaringly obvious. These 12 warnings are a thinly veiled call to Americans to wake up and smell the fascism. Let's hope enough people read it and take note.

(Note: Because of its subject matter, the book does contain some very graphic scenes -- Nazi soldiers recounting their misdeeds, etc. Consider that before jumping into it if you're easily triggered.)

Also, the rating is 4 stars instead of 5 because it can be very dry. (Not the subject matter -- but the narration.) At times, it was hard to stay focused because the narration style was very slow and lacking in emotion.

This title was very well written. The examples given throughout the book were thought-provoking, enlightening, and scary. The final chapter on the actual 12 lessons was eye-opening. And in each and every one I saw examples of in events happening today in the US. Shocking and sad that we as a people are so easily manipulated. The collective "WE" don't learn from history.

This isn’t necessarily anything new on the topic. It is done in an excellent way however. This does read more like a history textbook/lesson. It is very informative and interesting.

I listened to the audiobook of this. The narrator, John Sackville, did a great job and I loved his British accent.

I will say I think this book might be better to have a copy of the book with you while listening. It is a lot of information to digest.

Thank you Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the advanced audiobook. All opinions are my own.

This is a totally fascinating book which looks into the methods used to gain the approval for the horrific time of Nazi power during World War Two. Why did people accept and revere Adolf Hitler and how could many justify the murder of millions? He starts this history from the 1920s.

Very well written and very well narrated book (I listened to the audiobook). I can only recommend this book if you want to learn more about violent ideology and the use of sophisticated propaganda. Gives us a fresh understanding of this regime.

The Nazi Mind is a psychological and historical review of the events that lead up to the Nazi mindset. Early on Rees sets the stage with the analysis that to understand is not to excuse and I think that is exactly what happened in this novel. Throughout the novel we are able to understand what lead up to so many different individuals buying into the regime and while that may not excuse the behavior, it does lead to the question, “what would you do in this situation.”