Not Me: Memories of a Childhood

Joachim Fest was born in Berlin as the son of a teacher and headmaster, who opposed the new rulers from 30 January 1933, the day Hitler came to power. In February 1933, when Joachim was seven years old, Johannes Fest was dismissed and began a stubborn struggle to survive the Nazi era.
The dominant character in Joachim's youth is his father, who stubbornly continued to resist with and sometimes despite his family. The characters of his parents, his development as a teenager, his captivity in France and that of his father in Russia, the post-war period. Fest describes it with rare clarity and sharpness.
I Not is a compelling account of a youth at the sharpest point in history and an interesting description of the often underexposed group that turned against the Nazis in Germany. But above all: a monument to a man who always keeps his back straight, the embodiment of the idea that even under
remain honest in the most extreme circumstances.