# The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer

5 Hacker News commenters recommended The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 2 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** People recommend it for its detailed account of how Nazi Germany rose and fell, and for how well it speaks to current politics. Critics say it is a struggle to read.

## Why people recommend it

- Goes deep into nearly everything (1 comments): "For me it is kind of a struggle to read, but at the same time very interesting because he goes into great depths about basically everything." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49906225))
- Traces cause and effect through the war (1 comments): "it is fascinating being able to follow the cause and effect chain in Germany leading up to and all through the war" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49729318))
- Engaging and relevant to current politics (1 comments): "It's quite engaging, and also quite helpful to juxtapose against current political events" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49903135))
- Shaped a reader's career path (1 comments): "Two books I read after 9/11 shaped my path greatly" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49727450))

## What people warn about

- Hard to read at times (1 comments): "For me it is kind of a struggle to read, but at the same time very interesting because he goes into great depths about basically everything." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49906225))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow](https://hackerapproved.com/p/dawn-of-everything.md): 23 recommend
- [Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cadillac-desert.md): 18 recommend
- [The Box by Marc Levinson](https://hackerapproved.com/p/box.md): 16 recommend
- [Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari](https://hackerapproved.com/p/sapiens.md): 13 recommend
- [Chip War by Chris Miller](https://hackerapproved.com/p/chip-war.md): 13 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0671728687?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780671728687) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer", https://hackerapproved.com/p/rise-and-fall-of-the-third-reich/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).