When "I Told You So" is no Consolation: In the Garden of Beasts
Details
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and An American Family in Hitler's Berlin
Erik Larson, 2011
448 Pages
Widely available at San Diego City library, County library availability limited. Cheap (under $8.00) new and used copies available online.
This book made an impression on me. I think it will be interesting for our group. An American ambassdor's warnings about the horrors and worldwide threats of Nazi germany go completely unheeded ... Not a particularly short book, so get it now!
Random library user review: "Larson writes masterful narrative nonfiction (and a cautionary tale) that takes a deep dive into 1933 Germany, just after Hitler has been named Chancellor. We see the unraveling of a nation firsthand through the eyes of the American Ambassador William E. Dodd in Berlin, and his flamboyant and popular daughter Martha Dodd. Larson chronicles the growing horror as both statesmen and average citizens work hard to excuse and normalize Hitler and Nazi Party behavior, all the while letting democracy die. When enough people finally woke up and spoke up, it was too late to reverse course. A riveting and important read