This book falls into three distinctive phases, each worth considering in their own right. Growing up in a relatively prosperous German family, and knowing no other than the Third Reich gives an uncritical, yet nevertheless interesting, account of growing up, of life in the Hitler Youth, and a relatively untroubled time. All this is changed by his experience of war - as a runner in gthe Anzio action he is awarded the Iron Cross, but once captured vows never to fight again. Joachim's experiences as a prisoner of war, first in the USA - well-looked after until January 1945 when the truth of the Holocaust begins to emerge - and then in the UK add an intersting human twist to the post-war period. THe personal narrative is rivetting, and provides plenty for students to get their teeth into in trying to explain the impact of the Nazi Party. Perhaps the most contentious part of the book is where he tries to compare the bombing of Germany by the Allies with the war crimes of the Nazis. I know that the Allied Bombing is being re-assessed in many quarters, and that it is fashionable to call 'Bomber' Harris a war criminal, but it is not as simple as that. Read the book and make up your own mind!