Getting Too Close For Comfort

In August, my book club is reading "The Lost Life of Eva Braun." I started reading it early because it has over 500 pages and it takes a while to read it. Eva Braun was Adolf Hitler's significant other. This book is unusual because it has a woman author. In the past, only male authors wrote about Eva's life. The author's mother was born in Germany the same year as Eva which gives her version more credibility in my mind. The book has many, many footnotes which you can skip if you want to save time. I'm not enjoying this book. I would never have read this book of my own accord. The book bothers me the most because it is turning Hitler into a real person. Until I read this book I hadn't known that I thought of Hitler as some kind of comic book villain. He was a real person. The book talks about his parents and his upbringing in Germany. He traveled and vacationed in Bavaria. I had relatives who came from Bavaria. I learned that he had an undescended testicle and how he preferred women who were decades younger than himself. He liked the fact that she paid no attention to politics. When he spent time with Eva he could escape from the fiasco he was creating in

his own country. He really liked it when Eva wore the traditional Bavarian dress as seen in the second photo. Eva's father was not too happy that his eldest daughter was living in sin with a Nazi. He wrote to Hitler to complain. Eventually he had to make peace with the relationship because he feared Hitler's wrath. Hitler had a sister with a developmental disability. His family history included some incest which may be why his sister had a disability. He himself had an incestuous relationship with his niece. I have 150 pages left to read in this book. I'll be glad when it is done. I haven't liked the book but I know I'll enjoy the stimulating discussion at the August meeting of the book club.