On Hitler's Mountain Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, and our BookBrowse Review of On Hitler's Mountain.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

This reading guide is intended for adult discussion groups.  For younger readers, visit Irmgard Hunt's website for a teacher's guide, suggested classroom activities, and a list of additional resources.


Introduction

Born in 1934, Irmgard Hunt grew up in the Bavarian village of Berchtesgarden, in the shadow of Hitler's infamous "The Eagle's Nest." In this fascinating memoir, she offers an intimate glimpse into German life in the Third Reich, recalling an "ordinary" childhood in an extraordinary time and place.



Discussion Questions

Can you pinpoint the moment in your own life when you discovered the meaning of loss? What was that moment for Irmgard? Think of the children in your own life: do you believe that a child can ever truly understand death's logic?

1. How do you think Irmgard's experience of the loss of her father changed when, many years after his death, she realized that not only was he stolen from her by war, but also by flawed ideology?
   
   
2. As a reader, did you find yourself sympathizing with Irmgard, or were you hesitant to feel sorry for a victim of the Nazis who did not suffer the Konzentrationslager? Before reading On Hitler's Mountain had you thought of the psychological burden borne by German children of the Third Reich? How do you think their suffering differed from the guilt of their parents' generation?
   
   

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Harper Perennial. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.