Dietrich Von Hildebrand was a devout Catholic believer and a teacher of philosophy in Germany as Hitler was ascending to power. He openly denounced anti-Semitism and was targeted by the Nazis as an enemy of Germany. This memoir of his was written at the request of his second wife, Alice von Hildebrand. There is a brief account of his childhood and early adult years with the focus on the years 1921 to 1938. As von Hildebrand became more vocal in his opposition to the Nazis, he was dismissed from his professorship in Munich. He and his wife, Gretchen fled to Austria where they resided from until 1938 when Germany invaded Austria.
In Austria, von Hildebrand worked tirelessly through writing and publishing articles and giving lectures denouncing national socialism and anti-Semitism. He made every effort to influence the Catholic Church about the dangers of Nazism. Unfortunately there were leaders in the church in Austria who felt that moderate anti-Semitism could prevent people from breaking with the Catholic Church. There were others who did agree with him, but unfortunately Austria choose to compromise with the Nazis. After he fled Vienna, he found out that the Nazis had plans to assassinate him.
The second part of the memoirs contain his writings against the Nazi ideology. He kept writing even when his life was in danger and he was watched by the Gestapo. He was truly a man of great faith who championed the truth as the cost of his comfort and safety. He should be remembered along with Dietrich Bonhoeffer for his intellectual mind and his vocal opposition to the Nazis.
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
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