I bought this book off of Amazon a few years ago after it was recommended to me, but I never got around to reading it. It was written by August Kubizek, who was friends with Adolf Hitler for about four years when they were teenagers. The core of the book was written while the Nazis were in power at their behest (although Kubizek denied this), and was later expanded upon. It was published in the early 1950s, shortly before Kubizek died. It's a fascinating read, but it required me to try to separate the facts from the embellishments and evasions that were fairly obviously present.
Kubizek's perspective for much of the book is one of near-infatuation. His own youthful insecurities shine through as he heaps praises on the young Hitler. Hitler was "wise beyond his years" when he was sixteen, he employed "mature" handwriting, and had no interest in the "follies" of youth. He is portrayed as a dedicated, hard-working young man who did not let setbacks fluster him. Kubizek claims that his grand plans for reshaping society were "noble," and intended to benefit all of society (except those who were considered "undesirable," of course, but Kubizek doesn't mention that). The hero worship is laid on so thick at points that it seems almost like a gospel. In particular, Kubizek relates one instance in which the two men climbed to the top of a mountain, after which Hitler declaimed his vision for society and how he would shape it. The modern introduction to the book casts serious doubts over whether this incident ever happened, and I am inclined to agree that it seems like a fairytale designed to help foster Hitler's mystique. To be honest, reading through this book I kept thinking of parallels between this and the last Harry Potter book. In Kubizek's eyes, Hitler was a young Dumbledore, with him content to be Elphias Doge, faithful sidekick, bootlicker, and defender of character. The political discussions held by the two men also bring to mind Potter references, although Hitler obviously turned out to be much more of a Grindelwald than a Dumbledore.
The book is a fascinating source, however for a number of things that shaped Hitler's worldview. One is his obsession with buildings and architecture that followed him into his later life. His desire to physically reshape society into the image he wanted it to fit into obviously started at this stage of his life. The other is the genesis of his Aryan superman theories, which can be traced back in large part (in my opinion) to his obsession with Germanic mythology, specifically the works of Wagner, and the outright rejection of works from any other culture.
One of the biggest things that struck me about the book was how careful Kubizek was to distance himself from the adult Hitler. While he refers to the Hitler of his youth as Adolf, without fail the adult is referred to either as Hitler or the Reich Chancellor. He definitely tried to separate himself from any hint of support for Hitler's policies of anti-Semitism. He virtually never mentions it, and when he does he is careful to point out that anti-Semitic attitudes belonged to Hitler, and not to him. Kubizek does this to the point of possibly conflating Hitler's own early anti-Semitism, since he claims that in 1908 Hitler joined the Anti-Semitic Union in Vienna, despite the fact that no such organization existed at the time. In general, the book improved in terms of bias as it progressed. I think that this can largely be attributed to the increasing tensions felt between the two young men, which in many ways seemed to lessen Kubizek's hero worship that was so pervasive early in the book.
Perhaps one of the most interesting parts of the book has to do with Hitler's love life (or lack thereof) in this stage of his life. He was, according to Kubizek, obsessed with a young woman named Stefanie. She belonged to a family that was considerably wealthier than his, and as such was well out of his reach. His solution to this was to stand on a bridge that she walked over each day and stare at her. Daily. For almost four years. He never once introduced himself, and according to Kubizek he barely even nodded to her, but he was convinced that she was as in love with him as he was with her. During those periods when he was away he had Kubizek, the faithful sidekick, stand on the bridge alone and report back to him whether or not Stefanie had inquired as to where Hitler was (she never did, obviously). In fact, Hitler's only communication with her whatsoever was a letter he sent her from Vienna asking her to wait for him, which he did not sign. Despite this, he remained convinced for almost four years that she was in love with him and was prepared to marry him.
I really enjoyed this book. It was obviously written from the perspective of a supporter of Hitler trying to portray him in the best possible light, but it is absolutely fascinating. I would definitely recommend it.
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