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Frauen: German Women Recall the Third Reich Paperback – February 1, 1995

by Alison Owings (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 81 ratings
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What were the women of Germany doing during the Third Reich? What were they thinking? And what do they have to say a half century later?

In Frauen we hear their voices––most for the first time. Alison Owings interviewed and here records the words of twenty-nine German women who were there: Working for the Resistance. Joining the Nazi Party. Outsmarting the Gestapo. Disliking a Jewish neighbor. Hiding a Jewish friend. Witnessing "Kristallnacht." Witnessing the firebombing of Dresden. Shooting at Allied planes. Welcoming Allied troops. Being a prisoner. And being a guard. The women recall their own and others' enthusiasm, doubt, fear, fury, cowardice, guilt, and anguish.

Alison Owings, in her pursuit of such memories, was invited into the homes of these women. Because she is neither Jewish nor German, and because she speaks fluent colloquial German, many of the women she interviewed felt comfortable enough with her to unlock the past. What they have to say will surprise Americans, just as they surprised the women themselves.

Not since Marcel Ophuls's controversial film The Sorrow and the Pity have we been on such intimate terms with "the enemy." In this case, the story is that of the women, those who did not make policy but were forced to participate in its effects and to witness its results. What they did and did not do is not just a reflection on them and their country––it also leads us to question what actions we might have taken in their place. The interviews do not allow for easy, smug answers.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    536 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Rutgers University Press
  4. Publication date
    February 1, 1995
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1.4 x 9.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0813522005
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0813522005
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Powerful testimony from 29 German women survivors of the Third Reich that provides not only a stunning portrait of life on the home front but also insights into a society that spawned both Hitler and the Holocaust. . . . Oral history at its best . . . a much-needed record of WWII German women." ― Kirkus Reviews

"In vivid and often poignant portraits-cum-interviews . . . [Owings] has captured the extraordinary diversity of their experiences . . . each portrait, each interview, provides valuable insight into what happened to half the German population between 1933 and 1945." 

* A New York Times Notable Book of the Year *

― New York Times Book Review

"These oral histories displace the silences and stereotypes that have prevented us from recognizing the myriad ways German women and their families responded to Nazism. . . . They probe the complexities and contradictions that German women faced during the Nazi era, reminding us that human action is never automatic or overdetermined. . . . Reading Frauen we begin to glimpse how the exercise of conscience is simultaneously possible and subverted under fascism." ― Women's Review of Books

"A vivid picture of Germany under the Nazis emerges from this collection of unsettling interviews." ― Publishers Weekly

"A remarkable work of history that stands out from the vast library of World War II studies for its sheer intimacy and its sometimes startling perspectives. . . . Frauen transcends the genre of oral history and turns into something more elaborate and accomplished and memorable." ― Los Angeles Times Book Review

"[An] engaging book . . . this is oral history as it should be done." ― Chicago Tribune

"Frauen goes further than any book I know toward addressing the eternal question of the private citizen's individual responsibility within a fascist regime. Few of Ms. Owings's Frauen can be called heroines, or even passive resisters. But that is her point. This book will be mined by contemporary and future scholars, indeed, by all who puzzle over the moral failures of 'human nature'." -- Susan Brownmiller

"An extraordinarily rich historical resource, both exhilarating and exasperating, moving, and occasionally, hilarious. Owings asks tough questions, has a fine eye for telling gestures, and chooses her subjects from all walks of life. . . . An excellent work." ― Choice

"This collection . . . will fascinate anyone who has wondered how ordinary women experienced life in Nazi Germany. . . . A valuable work of reportage." ― Booklist

"The effect is akin to eavesdropping on an intimate conversation and helps put events and people's reactions to them in context . . . Owings resists stereotyping her subjects." ― San Francisco Chronicle

About the Author


Alison Owings is a freelance journalist who has contributed regularly major television network news broadcasts. She is author of Indian Voices: Listening to Native Americans (Rutgers University Press, 2011) and Hey, Waitress!: The USA from the Other Side of the Tray.. She lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her husband.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Rutgers University Press; Second Paperback Printing edition (February 1, 1995)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 536 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0813522005
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0813522005
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.62 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.4 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 81 ratings

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Alison Owings

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
81 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Greta
5.0 out of 5 stars Thanks to the author, a GREAT book.
Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2020
Verified Purchase
I'm only 50 pages into this book, but it's so interesting and well written I needed to immediately write a review.

Growing up with a father, grand-father and great-grandfather (all Dutch) who were in the gourmet food importing business, there were always a lot of Europeans visiting our house in the US. That was in the 60's and 70's when the war wasn't such a distant memory. Those experiences and studying European history during college years sparked a life-long interest in WWI, WWII, European history and the people who lived and died during these tragic, turbulent times. Also America's involvement in putting an end to the Nazi regime. This book shares the author's candid conversations with German women who lived through WWII. I appreciate how it's written and "hearing" these first hand accounts from women who had a very personal perspective of what was happening in Europe at the time. As I expected, it provides a real sense of these women as people living life and making choices during a long, difficult period.

It's a rare book that keeps my attention through the Preface and Introduction. This one did. I also like that a chapter is dedicated to each woman so I can pick it up and put it down easily - though I really don't want to put it down!

A well-deserved round of applause to you Alison Owings. Thank you for all of your hard work.
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Eala
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Analysis of civilian point of view
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2022
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The book consists of many different types of women from different social, economic, geographical and cultural backgrounds which provided a wide array of experiences. Some were remorseful, others regretful and yet others were wistful in their memories of the Nazi times. Most of the women were young at the time, from girls to young women. I found a deeper insight into the hardships they went through and also a better understanding of how they bear their guilt.
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Bev Thompson
4.0 out of 5 stars A Real Eye-Opener!
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2014
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It's very interesting to get from those who lived through the Third Reich exactly what it was like. Because of "high German" language, some of the translation is hard to understand (because it doesn't translate well), but we can definitely get the gist of it. Amazing that so many are in such denial, while others can't face it -- even today. The guilt is there, in some cases overpowering. If you are a WWII history buff, this is definitely a must-read. However, it can be a bit repetitious, each chapter a different Frau, and the book is thick, replete with many Fraus.
2 people found this helpful
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B. Jenn
5.0 out of 5 stars great condition
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2020
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not exactly a well written book. not a novel but interviews with real women. If you are interested in finding out what was going on in germany during the rise of the third Reich this is very informative. Much like America Today a lot of the women chose to stay out of it. Just stay in their house and take care of their own. sort of like those three monkeys. Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.
One person found this helpful
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Disinterested Reviewer
5.0 out of 5 stars Talented Author gets to the truth.
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2014
Verified Purchase
It is the author's talent, in both writing and interviewing, that makes these stories come alive. She dealt with subjects of whom conflicting about Hitler and the Third Reich had to be skillfully handled. Absent is an over-moralizing attitude from the author, including refraining from the obvious condemnation. She allows us to sit with these mostly elderly women and feel the uncomfortable nature of the questions, and enter into this generation's isolation from their own family, something that struck me repeatedly.

She gave voice, albeit an uneasy voice, in the way that history should speak to us. She did not interpret for us, but let the subject of history speak.
Well done!
6 people found this helpful
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Ann Allen
5.0 out of 5 stars Marvelous writing
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2006
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Frauen offers good insight into the lives of German women during the Third Reich. If some questions are left unanswered, it can be attributed to the women interviewed and not to the author, who had done her homework well and asked direct questions. Having lived in postwar Germany and received the same evasive answers, I was able to nod a hearty Ja to her frustrations. The only "fault" I found with the book, and it may not have been a grave one, was that most of the women came from eastern Germany. I longed to hear from more western Germans. All in all, however, this is an excellent book, one that should sound some warnings to present day readers.
3 people found this helpful
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Mini J
5.0 out of 5 stars Impressive and eye opening book
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2017
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Interviews of several women who were young women during the 3rd Reich. The author interviewed the same women several times over a number of years. Their experiences, attitudes, and opinions were eye opening, shocking, sad, frightening. Made me appreciate and thank God that we never had foreign tanks on our soil. Made me realize the need for our borders to be protected.
2 people found this helpful
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Tutencom
3.0 out of 5 stars It pays to be ignorent.
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2013
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It was well written considering it's a book of interviews. I still think the German people of that time were aware of the treatment(s) that took place in those places. Gossip spreads fast and tends to increase in magnitude as it's passed along. Since there was nothing that anyone could do at the time---just put it out of one's mind!
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Top reviews from other countries

Emily
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read!
Reviewed in Canada on November 30, 2020
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This compelling book is one of the best I have read regarding inside the Nazi world. A first regarding its focus on women's voices and examining in depth their perceptions, actions, and post-war experiences. The author, a journalist, provides an insider's view that combines investigation and a deep dive into the psych of women from a wide range of circumstances, from a camp guard to a brave sole who hid her Jewish friend for years.
One person found this helpful
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basecamp
5.0 out of 5 stars No problems
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 6, 2018
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MariaA
5.0 out of 5 stars Great service
Reviewed in Canada on February 18, 2018
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The item was exactly as described and arrived when it was expected. I'm very satisfied with the purchase and would order books from them again.
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