Author Description

In this groundbreaking biography, German historian Heike B. Görtemaker delves into the startlingly neglected historical truth about Adolf Hitler's mistress. More than just the vapid blonde of popular cliché, Eva Braun was a capricious but uncompromising, fiercely loyal companion to Hitler; theirs was a relationship that flew in the face of the Führer's proclamations that Germany was his only bride. Görtemaker paints a portrait of Hitler and Braun's life together with unnerving quotidian detail, while weaving their personal relationship throughout the fabric of one of history's most devastating regimes. Though Braun gradually gained an unrivaled power within Hitler's inner circle, her identity was kept a secret until the final days of the war. Faithful to the end, Braun committed suicide with Hitler in 1945, two days after their marriage. Through exhaustive research and newly discovered documentation, Görtemaker has meticulously built a surprising portrait of Hitler's existence outside of the public eye: Braun was privy to his thoughts, ruled life within his entourage, and held his trust.--From publisher description.