The Origins of Hitler: Lies, Loss, and a Forged Identity

A blunt look at the missing grandfather, dead siblings, name changes, and why his family chose to disappear

From a forgotten farmhouse in rural Austria came the man who would set the world on fire.

People talk about Adolf Hitler in isolation as if one day he exploded into history from a thundercloud: no word on parents, childhood, and awkward teenage years. A ready-made villain dropped off by fate. It’s comforting to imagine evil arriving that way. It keeps us…