Today I’m really excited to be taking part in the Book Tour of, WOLF, by Herbert J. Stern and Alan A.which is being hosted by HFBT!
#Wolf #HerbertStern #AlanWinter #HFVBTBlogTours
@skyhorsepub @hfvbt
Wolf: A Novel
by Herbert J. Stern & Alan A. Winter
Publication Date: February 11, 2020
Skyhorse
Hardcover & eBook; 552 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
In the Great Tradition of Herman Wouk, Author of Winds of War and War and Remembrance, Wolf is a Thoroughly Researched and Illustrated Historical Novel about a Man who is Not Yet a Monster . . . but Will Soon Become the Ultimate One: Adolf Hitler.
Perhaps no man on Earth is more controversial, more hated, or more studied than Adolf Hitler. His exploits and every move are well-documented, from the time he first became chancellor and then-dictator of Germany to starting World War II to the systematic killing of millions of Jews. But how did he achieve power, and what was the makeup of the mind of a man who would deliberately inflict unimaginable horrors on millions of people?
Meet Friedrich Richard, an amnesiac soldier who, in 1918, encounters Hitler in the mental ward at Pasewalk Hospital. Hitler, then a corporal, diagnosed as a psychopath and helpless, suffering from hysterical blindness, introduces himself as Wolf to Friedrich and becomes dependent upon Friedrich for assistance, forming an unbreakable bond between the two men.
Follow Friedich—our protagonist—who interacts with real people, places, and events, through the fifteen-year friendship that witnesses Hitler turn from a quiet painter into a megalomaniacal dictator. Using brand-new historical research to construct a realistic portrait of the evolving Hitler, Wolf will satisfy, by turns, history buffs and fiction fans alike. And as this complex story is masterfully presented, it answers the question of how a nondescript man became the worlds greatest monster.
Praise
Adolf Hitler anointed himself with the name, Wolf, then plotted and connived with remorseless determination to become Der Fuhrer, Dictator, Savior of the Fatherland. As in ancient Greek drama, we know the ending to the story.
The riddle is how we get there….A Hitler we did not know existed emerges page by page, A Hitler we did not know existed emerges page by page, all his bits and pieces, certain of his role as Savior of Germany, evil, driven, shrewd, an unrepentant, serial seducer of teenage girls, surrounded by toadies as ruthless as himself but not nearly so smart his rise and words an unnerving parallel as we witness the continued erosion of democracy today in our own sweet land. Put this book on the shelf with Ludlum, Michener, and Clavell. Wolf deserves to be in their company. Stephen Foreman, author of Toehold, Watching Gideon, and Journey, and screenwriter of The Jazz Singer, Hostage, and America the Beautiful
Based on extensive research, the extraordinary novel Wolf, by Herbert J. Stern and Alan A. Winter, lifts the curtain so that the reader can observe through the eyes of a fictional character how a seemingly unremarkable corporal who was denied a promotion for lack of leadership ability became dictator of Germany. The result is a gripping page-turner, a masterful historical novel.”
The Jewish Voice
Wolf offers a front row seat to the Nazi Party early years, expertly using the fictional protagonist Friedrich Richard to take the reader on a fifteen-year journey from the end of the First World War to Adolf Hitlers seizure of absolute power in Germany. The reader experiences the gradual death of democracy in Weimar Germany like a slow-motion train wreck, equally fascinated and horrified. We all know how Hitlers Thousand Year Reich ended, but Wolf shows us how the nightmare began. A compelling, thoroughly researched, and important work. Wolf is an impressive achievement. Exhaustively researched and richly detailed, it draws on new historical research to paint a fascinating portrait of Adolph Hitler that is more human and recognizable than most depictions and thus even more chilling and sobering. Alex DeMille, co-author of The Deserter with bestselling author Nelson DeMille
Wolf will incite intense discussion in historical circles and book clubs alike. It is a poignant, persuasive, and ultimately terrifying story of how one man came to bend the path of history through oppression and genocide by taking one step at a time. Amy Wilhelm, senior writer, Book Club Babble
Thank you to Andrea Stein with Jane Wesman Public Relations and Historical Fiction Virtual Blog Tours for this wonderful opportunity to read a truly amazing novel and review Wolf.
I received an ARC and Historical Notes from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
Herbert Stern and Alan Winter’s Extraordinary Novel Transports Readers to the years in Germany, 1918 to 1934. A reflective personal view of Hitler’s ambitious Rise to Power.
WOLF, by Herbert J. Stern and Alan A. Winter, is a thought provoking novel based on extensive research, a masterpiece of historical fiction that is brings to life the years those critical events between the first WW1 and WW2.
In 1918, a young man wakes up in a German hospital who has a genuine case of amnesia. He has undergone extensive major plastic surgery for shrapnel wounds that he received to his face, head, and body. In time he regains his strength, but his memory continues to elude him. Without documents or any information the hospital refers to him as Patient X. After his transfer to Pasewalk Mental Hospital a doctor assigns him the name of a dead soldier, Friedrich Richard. Shortly after his arrival he meets a fellow patient who Is suffering from conversion disorder or hysterical blindness. This patient becomes dependent on main the protagonist for intimate help with day to day task. He is Adolf Hitler, but his close friends call him, Wolf. Through their ordeal in psychiatric hospital they form a strong bond of friendship, that will carry them through until the reality of what Wolf’s true intentions are when they come to light.
Through Richard’s sixteen year narration we see first hand Germany’s Political turmoil and economic struggles. As critical moments of the crashing death of Germany’s democracy unfolds through these remarkable emotional pages.
Hitler’s extreme anti-Semitic comments were more rhetorical than substance.
I myself never thought he would carry through with his threats.
Friedrich Richard…
An exquisitely written, absorbing read, that I completely inhaled. The novels pace and depth, with its fleshed out historical and fictional characters is both compelling as it is frightening. An astonishing book that captures the true nature of Adolf Hitler, from his charismatic presence and leadership ability. His strength as an Orator that fueled the distain of the common German people as they were struggling under the weight of The Treaty of Versailles. Economic inflation and debts and reparation payments drained the German government This allowed the perfect opportunity for an ambitious leader to rise up and ignite a country with traditional appeal to nationalism, and loyalty to its Fatherland.
This is brilliantly written book, with its atmospheric descriptive details and absorbing narration, will stay with long after you close the book.
A breathtaking novel that gives the reader the opportunity to be front and center in a dark and emotional time during this period of our world’s history.
If you are interested in more of the authors’ meticulous research you can access Historical Notes at http://www.notesonwolf.com/
My thoughts:
Hitler used an extremely detail and impressive, organized plan for economic revitalization of Germany’s economy. Through his method, Hitler was able to keep his promises of strengthening economic growth and begin his ultimate climb to power. Hitler used the Jewish people as a scapegoat for all of Germany’s problems. Germany’s disproportional numbers of wealthy Jewish business owners was a window opportunity for Hitler to convince much of the German people that the Jews were to blame for the poor economic state. As Nazis party slowly infiltrated every aspect of government they were able to convince the masses that the Jews were rich and powerful. The propaganda spewed that they were no better than vermin, and this allowed for necessary to take severe measures to be taken.
Hitler based Aryan purity on America’s One Drop Rule.
German anti-Semites used American anti-miscegenation laws as a model. … In the late 1920s, Adolf Hitler declared in “Mein Kampf” that America was the “one state” making progress toward the creation of a healthy race-based order.
One of the most striking Nazi views was that Jim Crow was a suitable racist program already in use in the United States,
because American blacks were already oppressed and poor,” he says. “But then in Germany, by contrast, where the Jews (as the Nazis imagined it) were rich and powerful, it was necessary to take more severe measures.”
Because of this, Nazis were more interested in how the U.S. had designated Native Americans, Filipinos and other groups as non-citizens even though they lived in the U.S. or its territories. These models influenced the citizenship portion of the Nuremberg Laws, which stripped Jewish Germans of their citizenship and classified them as “nationals.”
About the Authors
Herbert J. Stern, formerly US attorney for the District of New Jersey, who prosecuted the mayors of Newark, Jersey City and Atlantic City, and served as judge of the US District Court for the District of New Jersey, is a trial lawyer. He also served as judge of the United States Court for Berlin. There he presided over a hijacking trial in the occupied American Sector of West Berlin. His book about the case, Judgment in Berlin, won the 1974 Freedom Foundation Award and became a film starring Martin Sheen and Sean Penn. He also wrote Diary of a DA: The True Story of the Prosecutor Who Took on the Mob, Fought Corruption, and Won, as well as the multi-volume legal work Trying Cases to Win.
Alan A. Winter is the author of four novels, including Island Bluffs, Snowflakes in the Sahara, Someone Else Son, and Savior Day, which Kirkus selected as a Best Book of 2013. Winter graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in history and has professional degrees from both New York University and Columbia, where he was an associate professor for many years. He edited an award-winning journal and has published more than twenty professional articles. Alan studied creative writing at Columbia Graduate School of General Studies. His screenplay, Polly, received honorable mention in the Austin Film Festival, and became the basis for Island Bluffs.
Blog Tour Schedule
Monday, February 3
Review at Books and Zebras
Tuesday, February 4
Review at YA, It’s Lit
Wednesday, February 5
Excerpt at Donna’s Book Blog
Friday, February 7
Review at Tales from the Book Dragon
Saturday, February 8
Review at Reading is My Remedy
Monday, February 10
Review at Gwendalyn’s Books
Review & Excerpt at Clarissa Reads It All
Tuesday, February 11
Excerpt at Passages to the Past
Wednesday, February 12
Feature at The Caffeinated Bibliophile
Thursday, February 13
Review at Impressions In Ink
Friday, February 14
Feature at CelticLady’s Reviews
Giveaway
During the Blog Tour, we are giving away a paperback copy of Wolf! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.
Giveaway Rules
Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on February 14th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
Paperback giveaway is to the US only.
Only one entry per household.
All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspicion of fraud will be decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
The winner has 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner is chosen.
Wolf
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I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. In high school, I fell madly in love with Classic Literature: Austen, Brontë, Dickens, Dumas, James, Shelly, Tolstoy, and everything else! What I loved most about these books were the ways these authors used words to paint the story like beautiful artwork.
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