Adolf Hitler

November 1, 2000
Does the world need another book about Adolf Hitler? It is unlikely, although Nicholls (history, Exeter Univ. and Leeds Univ.; Napoleon: A Biographical Companion, LJ 11/1/99) has written a usable single-volume reference on the subject. The book's strength is its use of current scholarship on the Nazis, including a brilliant article on the Historikerstreit, the historiographical controversy regarding the Holocaust among scholars. Nicholls strives to represent fairly a variety of views, but in the end, all the articles are his. The appendix using Hitler's own words to present his worldview is very well done. Unfortunately, Nicholls relies too heavily on secondary sources, making the book inferior to The Encyclopedia of the Third Reich (Macmillan, 1991. o.p.; Da Capo, 1997), which set the standard for reference books on the Third Reich with its extensive use of primary documents from German archives. Thus, Adolf Hitler is an adequate alternative to libraries that do not possess The Encyclopedia of the Third Reich, but those that do can pass unless they wish to be complete on the subject. (Index not seen.)--Randall L. Schroeder, Wartburg Coll. Lib., Waverly, IA

Copyright 2000 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2001
In this very personal production, filmmakers Dianne Griffin and Tobi Solvang journey to the tiny East African country of Eritrea to shoot a documentary on AIDS. After more than 30 years of fighting, Eritrea officially received independence in the early 1990s. As Griffin and Solvang wander local streets with cameras in hand, they record crumbling buildings and other evidence of severe poverty that testify to the high cost this underdeveloped country paid for independence. Interviews with American medical students documenting AIDS statistics, doctors treating patients, and health officials battling illiteracy and ingrained native customs further point to the seriousness of the situation. Griffin and Solvang's moving narration discusses the surrounding hopelessness as well as their own family and health issues (amazingly, one of the filmmakers has unprotected sex and fears that she is infected with the AIDS virus). Capturing both the spirit of the people through their ceremonies and traditions and the overwhelming health concerns they face, this compelling documentary is independent filmmaking at its finest. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)