"Herbert [Norkus] belonged to the Hitlerjugend, or Hitler Youth, an organization of teenagers dedicated to Adolf Hitler. Hitler was the leader of the rising National Socialist Party, known as the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, or Nazis for short."
Introduction, pp. 9-10

"Unaccustomed to democracy, many Germans had little faith in their president and elected Reichstag. They longed for a strong leader who promised them jobs and a better life, even if he had extreme ideas. Tired of poor living and working conditions, they wanted a simple but drastic solution. And so, on February 1, 1933, as Hitler's voice boomed over the radio, the German people felt grateful for his leadership."
Chap. 1, p . 20

"During the trial period, each boy and girl [of the Hitler Youth] had to pass a written examination to make sure they had mastered Nazi ideas about race and politics. They also had to prove their racial background. Although...