I was a little apprehensive when I saw the title of this recently published book: Bloodline, by Robert Hernstein. It was the subtitle that grabbed my attention: “the story of Adolf Hitler’s Jewish roots.” It’s a novel, but the author claims it to be fact told as fiction. I’d never heard about Adolf Hitler having Jewish ancestry and more than anything, I was intrigued. I needed to know what Hernstein was on about. I must say, it was a cracking read. Hidden behind the title is a story of intrigue, tragic love and betrayal. The deeper you go, the more it sucks you in and the more you want to know. There is revelation upon revelation and surprise heaped upon surprise as Hernstein keeps the reader guessing almost up to the final page. He weaves his way back and forth through a good chunk of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and the reader holds on tight as the roller coaster gathers speed. There are wonderful insights into a lost and forgotten world where women were held in low esteem and knew their place, and men, of course, were men. We witness the rumblings of dissent towards Europe’s Jews, gathering strength for the rabid dog of anti-semitism to be unleashed and we are given a ringside seat as Hitler’s father becomes embroiled in the early inklings of German nationalism. There’s graphic violence, but only a little, enough I suppose to make the point. There’s some graphic sex too. Hernstein uses it to reinforce the crazed animal that Hitler’s father was turning into. This transformation from an affable naive boy to a womanising, alcoholic brute who delights on venting his wrath on his children and his long-suffering wives is almost astonishing. As the author states: perhaps it goes some way to explaining the man that Adolf Hitler became. Refreshingly, Hernstein does not get hung up on the whole Hitler thing whereby the Nazi leader must always be portrayed as a complete madman, anything less being politically incorrect. We get an insight into him as a normal child and to some extent as a mature adult and it does indeed go some way to helping the reader understand the man that Adolf Hitler became. Most of all, I needed to know: is it true? I’ve been checking out many of the scenarios, the names and the places and there seems to be more than a grain of truth in what he writes. It is only available as an ebook on Amazon, but at least it is well within the tightest budget at $8.99. It is 435 pages long (depending on what platform you read it on). I have to say, it did not seem that long and I wanted more, I didn't want it to end. I can only recommend this book. My only complaint is that it wasn’t long enough!
There's a reason why it is fiction. This is a old thread, but it's worth a look and read. http://www.ww2f.com/topic/566-was-hitler-jewish/?hl=%2Bhitler+%2Bjewish#entry9535