In his introduction, James Cross Giblin poses questions that he hopes to answer with this insightful and gripping biography: “What sort of man could plan and carry out such horrendous schemes? How was he able to win support for his deadly ventures? And why did no one try to stop him until it was almost too late?” To answer these questions, Giblin looks closely at Hitler’s formative years, writing extensively about his rise to the top and his ability to stir up a crowd with his mesmerizing oratorical skill. He presents Hitler not as evil personified but as a brilliant strategist and a deeply disturbed man with a hunger for power. Archival photographs illustrate an exceptionally gutsy biography of a man who had a tremendous impact on the 20thCentury. (Age 14 and older)