The Master of Auschwitz:

Memoirs of Rudolf Hoess, Kommandant SS

By: Rudolf Hoess

Narrated by: Tim Dalgleish

Length: 13 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

The first-hand account of the life, career, and the practices of horror at Auschwitz, written by Auschwitz Kommandant SS Rudolf Hoss as he awaited execution for his crimes. Including his psychological interviews at Nuremberg.

©2016 Stephen R. Pastore (P)2016 Stephen R. Pastore

What a piece of crap the author was.

Very enciteful. The authors blame is only slightly mitigated by his ending. Gave me a better understanding of the thought process behind the Holocaust.

Very informative

Once I started it I didn't want to stop listening. It is a look into the personal and professional life of a man with no emotions or guilt of the crimes he committed. I highly recommend this to anyone wanting to know more about such a tragic place in history and the man behind it.

Very interesting

This books great insight into how the camps operated and Hoess’s personal perspective on things.

Deeply Disturbing, yet instructional tale

If you are squeamish, I would not recommend this book. But for those history buffs and psychology enthusiasts who want to, this book is for you. A deeply disturbing, yet instructional tale, it dives into the mind of the greatest mass murderer in history. Most of the Nazi mass murderers didn't leave writings. But this one did. And it's a fascinating look at how one man rationalized his role in the murder of millions.

Difficult to listen to.

The narrator did a fantastic job. This book us a very important read. That being said, it is so very hard to listen. to without feeling so heartbroken for the victims. It's almost difficult to give a fair rating.

No words

very difficult to process. sad that people can't think for themselves. very sad and morose

WOW

The mind- boggling insight into the head of a man who loves his wife and children .... yet send not tens of thousands .... but multiple MILLIONS OF FAMILIES to there death .... and feels justified in doing so is .... IM SHOCKED AND UNSETTLED ! Humans are NOT a civilized species !

Great

I’ve listen to it at least 5 times while working, if you enjoy history and 1st hand experiences being told then you will enjoy this audiobook

Hindsight. Not 20/20

If you are even looking at this title I assume you've had some background reading on ww2 the third Reich and the SS KZ System. The memoirs of Höss are valuable for two primary reasons: 1. he was among the closest to the atrocities of WW2 Germany and provides details and POV that only he can; 2. his account shows the flaws and self deception used to make tidy the horrors of genocide. It's very clear from reading other accounts that Höss wasnt just a victim of circumstance and patriotism. He was a leader and so admits it. He says he never personally abused an inmate and that he never knew of any institutional abuse. While he may not have whipped a prisoner he readily set up firing squads and built Zyklon B gas chambers to kill millions. That said it's hard not to have a modicum of sympathy for this perpetrator if not for the farewell made to his family.

This is a good listen. There are some mispronunciations of German but it's not too jarring.

Ramblings of a delusional sociopath

I wish I had the credit back. The narration was fine, could have done without the creepy music and bells that started, and abruptly cutoff, between chapters.
Hoss had an incredible memory for mundane and intricate details, yet had no emotion, no guilt, no remorse (other than "well, the war's over and we got caught and now I see that the world thinks we were wrong about the extermination camps, and the whole Jewish situation, but I was just following orders). And then he turns around and says he wouldn't mistreat a prisoner and he didn't like the conditions at the camp, but oversaw mass executions and burials and digging up bodies and burning them. But he considered himself a nice guy! I've read much better Holocaust memoirs than this.