Adolf Hitler

Book Review: Peter Duffy's absorbing history, a page-turner packed with colorful characters and events, paints a broader portrait of an angry, complex era that "precipitated a diplomatic controversy that engaged the highest levels of the American and Nazi governments."

"A Hidden Life" is a contemplative biopic of the Austrian conscientious objector who was beatified by the Catholic Church. But Malick avoids hagiography, choosing instead to focus on the inner journey of a man and wife.

Declaring that the Catholic Church is unafraid of history, Pope Francis announced that documents in the Vatican Secret Archives relating to the wartime pontificate of Pope Pius XII will be open to scholars in 2020.

This Nov. 11, at 11 a.m., marks the centenary of the war's end. Longtime NCR contributor Patricia Lefevere recalls her uncle's service and the history there is to learn about the "Great War."