They Thought They Were Free

First published in print in 1955, this audiobook uses interviews with Germans who joined the Nazi Party as a way of understanding what made people follow Hitler and trust that he had Germany's best interests at heart. It's a frightening story of how people can slowly be deprived of their rights and liberties and still not recognize the danger. Narrator Michael Page has a formal, mannered British accent that fits the tone of this research project, and he does a fine job varying his reading. Page also commits to character voices, though some of his interpretations miss the mark. Still, his attempts do personalize an account that is more correct than emotional. R.I.G. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine