Many people believe Hitler was the personification of evil. In this intriguing biography, James Cross Giblin penetrates this façade and presents a picture of a complex person-at once a brilliant, influential politician and a deeply disturbed man. In a straightforward and nonsensational manner, the author explores the forces that shaped the man as well as the social conditions that furthered his rapid rise to power. Against a background of crucial historical events, Giblin traces the arc of Hitler's life: his childhood, his years as a frustrated artist in Vienna, his extraordinary rise as dictator of Germany, his final days in an embattled bunker under Berlin. Powerful archival images provide a haunting visual accompaniment to this clear and compelling account of a life that left an ineradicable mark on our world. AGES: 10-14 AUTHOR: James Cross Giblin is the author of more than twenty critically acclaimed books for young people. 'The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler' received the Robert F. Sibert Award for informational books.