Few have shaped our understanding of the Third Reich as much as Joachim Fest. His biographies of Adolf Hitler and Albert Speer, as well as his explorations of the final days in the Führerbunker, reached millions of readers worldwide. But how did he, the historian born in 1926, experience National Socialism, the war, and defeated Germany? In this autobiography of his childhood and youth, Joachim Fest offers a comprehensive insight into his direct experiences of those dark years for the first time. The task I have set for myself is remembrance. The majority of the experiences and events of my existence have, like for everyone, faded into oblivion. For memory is constantly at work, filtering out some things, replacing others, or overlaying them with new insights. This process has no end; as I look back down the long road.