While it's possible to be consistently wrong about one's political predictions, being right all the time seems far-fetched. Bella Fromm's knack for always getting it right stretches one's suspension of disbelief to untenable lengths. This so-called diary reads like an account written after the fact. She never misses a mention of a monumental historical figure. In fact, it seems she never knew anyone irrelevant, ever. The diplomatic corps relied on her completely, and it was her esteemed duty to stay in Germany as long as possible since she was always on a mission for the sake of mankind. Please. This is a tiresome read that rings false as a contemporary account and falls flat as history. ( )

outstanding - chilling personal account of the creep of Nazis and Nazism into "normal" German society in the 1930s. ( )