I know we all want people buying more books, but this can’t be good:
Only three days after Adolf Hitler’s notorious autobiography Mein Kampf (“My Struggle”) was re-released in Germany, following its entry into the public domain after a 70-year ban, booksellers and Amazon have already sold out of their copies.
Some sold out within hours.
The new edition, which runs about 2,000 pages, was developed by a “team of scholars and historians” who added about 3,500 annotations — most of which we assume were comments like “Fuck this guy” and “SRSLY???”
It seems reasonable that the German people would have a lot of curiosity about the book, which played a major role in history and has been verboten since 1945. But here at Fiction Advocate we say, screw curiosity. If you are going to rush out to buy a book, here are some you should absolutely choose over Mein Kampf.
The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer is one of the most admired theologians and human beings of the 20th century. Theologian because of books like this one, as well as his participation in the German Confessing Church, which opposed the Nazis on moral and theological grounds. And human being because he went back to Nazi-era Germany after leaving to try and help, and it ended up costing him his life.
For Such a Time by Kate Breslin. A book that has had its own share of controversy. But think of it this way: a Christian romance novel about the love between a Jewish concentration camp woman and her Nazi guard. What’s not for Hitler to hate?
My Struggle by Karl Ove Knausgard. It’s time to reclaim the title “My Struggle.” Plus, if you’ve got time to read 2,000 pages you may as well see what all the fuss is over Knausgaard.
Zabiba and the King by Saddam Hussein. Because Hitler doesn’t deserve to be history’s best-read POS. Let him once again remember the sting of second-place.
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Hitler would hate this book for obvious reasons. But we suggest it because if there is any book that could legitimately be called My Struggle it’s this one and not Hitler’s whiny garbage.
The Collected Stories of Stefan Zweig. Because if you’re going to spend a bunch of money on a conversation piece book (Mein Kampf reportedly costs more than 40 euros), spend it on this beautifully bound collection by another German who lived in exile because Hitler was such a dick.
Look Who’s Back by Timur Vermes. Safe bet Hitler wouldn’t have liked this one, a satire about him coming back to modern day Berlin and being funny.
The Martian by Andy Weir. The opposite of Hitler, because everyone says it’s pretty good and you’ll probably like it.
Literally any other book. Pick one. Any of them will be better than Mein Kampf. Here — try one of ours. Each comes with a “Better Than Hitler” guarantee.
The donate page of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Because these are the stories we should be reading and remembering, not Hitler’s.
-The Editors
Every Man Dies Alone, by Hans Fallada
Ermm, hate to be a total pessimist, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the people buying this weren’t totally against it. I doubt many people would buy this out of intellectual curiosity. And considering there are an estimated 26000 right wing extremists in Germany alone, not to mention other groups of people who would be interested in reading this book for the wrong reasons, I wouldn’t be surprised if this book had an audience of people who were in tune with Hitler’s way of thinking.
That’s not to say I’m in favour of censorship- I just think it’s a little ominous.
Sorry, got a bit sidetracked- it’s a great post and I love your picks- particularly the last one.
One last thing, out of interest, do you have any idea where the proceeds for this book going?