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In the Garden of Beasts
Erik Larson, New York Times bestselling author of Devil in the White City, delivers a remarkable story set during Hitler’s rise to power.
The time is 1933, the place, Berlin, when William E. Dodd becomes America’s first ambassador to Hitler’s Nazi Germany in a year that proved to be a turning point in history.
A mild-mannered professor from Chicago, Dodd brings along his wife, son, and flamboyant daughter, Martha. At first Martha is entranced by the parties and pomp, and the handsome young men of the Third Reich with their infectious enthusiasm for restoring Germany to a position of world prominence. Enamored of the “New Germany,” she has one affair after another, including with the suprisingly honorable first chief of the Gestapo, Rudolf Diels. But as evidence of Jewish persecution mounts, confirmed by chilling first-person testimony, her father telegraphs his concerns to a largely indifferent State Department back home. Dodd watches with alarm as Jews are attacked, the press is censored, and drafts of frightening new laws begin to circulate. As that first year unfolds and the shadows deepen, the Dodds experience days full of excitement, intrigue, romance—and ultimately, horror, when a climactic spasm of violence and murder reveals Hitler’s true character and ruthless ambition.
Suffused with the tense atmosphere of the period, and with unforgettable portraits of the bizarre Göring and the expectedly charming--yet wholly sinister--Goebbels, In the Garden of Beasts lends a stunning, eyewitness perspective on events as they unfold in real time, revealing an era of surprising nuance and complexity. The result is a dazzling, addictively readable work that speaks volumes about why the world did not recognize the grave threat posed by Hitler until Berlin, and Europe, were awash in blood and terror.
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Reviews
This is a factual tale of the build up of WWII in Berlin, from the perspective of an American diplomate’s through his letters and diary entries. It is a must read in this freighting era with Trump’s 2nd run for the presidency. Hie is catering to all the bad groups of through N. America. The nationalist, the skin heads, racist, holocaust deniers, and hitler lovers. Simply denying the truth got Germany into its de ed
By Tinlizzy55
Another great piece of history told by Erik Larson. His research is impeccable. Makes for a great read.
By Cyber_Grunt
This mostly chronicled spectacle was impeccably researched, and horrifyingly captivating. One cannot help but wonder, what does the future hold for humankind during the next half-decade? Which prophetic voices will be heard yet inaccurate: which will be unheard and factual? History is the only observer who knows knows the truth for certain. Kudos to the author and the mostly forgotten-to-history Dodd family…
By papac2
Hard to read since know what happens. Demeaning of daughter. Just did not like.
By literary8fan
Well-written and intense
By The blue dove