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ericthec's review against another edition
4.0
This book is an easy read and pretty amazing. Frightening to see up close the mid level bureaucrat be a cog in that nightmare.
cascadienne's review against another edition
3.0
I went looking for this book after hearing the author, Daniel Lee, discuss it on a history podcast earlier this month. It’s both a deep dive into the extraordinary evil done by “ordinary Nazis” and into the research methods available/necessary to track down the story of someone who was a low-to-mid-level bureaucrat for the Third Reich.
It was fascinating to see just how much information was available on Robert Greisinger from official paperwork, and what that allowed the author to track down and piece together.
I would have rated the book more highly if Lee had taken a step back to more thoroughly address the issue of whitewashing the Nazi period in German history among the general public. He touched on it in relation to how Greisinger’s daughters and other family members perceived his story, but I feel like it’s a significant enough issue to have spent more time focusing on it - especially with the resurgence of nationalism and re-emergence of overt far-right groups in the general culture in so many countries in the last 10-20 years.
Also, the audiobook narrator generally was great... but for every single elderly person he portrayed as a separate character, he chose a breathy, exhausted voice that was indistinguishable from any other elderly character. It happens often enough that I found myself getting seriously irritated by it.
It was fascinating to see just how much information was available on Robert Greisinger from official paperwork, and what that allowed the author to track down and piece together.
I would have rated the book more highly if Lee had taken a step back to more thoroughly address the issue of whitewashing the Nazi period in German history among the general public. He touched on it in relation to how Greisinger’s daughters and other family members perceived his story, but I feel like it’s a significant enough issue to have spent more time focusing on it - especially with the resurgence of nationalism and re-emergence of overt far-right groups in the general culture in so many countries in the last 10-20 years.
Also, the audiobook narrator generally was great... but for every single elderly person he portrayed as a separate character, he chose a breathy, exhausted voice that was indistinguishable from any other elderly character. It happens often enough that I found myself getting seriously irritated by it.
brad_mckay's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
ronanmcd's review against another edition
4.0
The banality of evil - history is told about the towering evil doers.
This book fills a huge gap. The Second World War saw killing on an industrial scale.
There was some retribution, but many if not most got away with the atrocities. This was especially the case for the managers who put the systems into place that made genocide feasible. Systems architects, engineers and lawyers made the framework in which the Final Solution could happen. The ordinary Nazi strung along on nationalistic hype, with an ever more eroded morality, could become an officiator for the murderous regime, and do it as a day job.
Those stories are not told. This one is.
This book fills a huge gap. The Second World War saw killing on an industrial scale.
There was some retribution, but many if not most got away with the atrocities. This was especially the case for the managers who put the systems into place that made genocide feasible. Systems architects, engineers and lawyers made the framework in which the Final Solution could happen. The ordinary Nazi strung along on nationalistic hype, with an ever more eroded morality, could become an officiator for the murderous regime, and do it as a day job.
Those stories are not told. This one is.
ettegoom's review against another edition
3.0
Very readable and not at all what I was expecting. This was a fascinating story of both historical research and the lives of ordinary Germans during the third Reich. Such a strange time, with such diverse motivations for action. This is a really valuable and interesting contribution.
catgood's review against another edition
4.0
A meticulously researched book that gave fascinating insight to the life of a regular Nazi soldier. I learned a lot in this book - including staggering numbers of people who died or were displaced. Over 30,000 Jews were murdered over the course of a few days from one village; over 17,000 German citizens were killed in the bombing of a city by the Allies in a single night.
The discussion about the legacy of Nazis in German history was interesting too - that many families did not discuss what they or their parents or grandparents did in the war and how this part of history is being forgotten. So many records were destroyed. However, the information in the records that were not destroyed was impressive, such as records in Prague that showed everyone that lived in a particular house that the author was able to view during his research. Super interesting read.
The discussion about the legacy of Nazis in German history was interesting too - that many families did not discuss what they or their parents or grandparents did in the war and how this part of history is being forgotten. So many records were destroyed. However, the information in the records that were not destroyed was impressive, such as records in Prague that showed everyone that lived in a particular house that the author was able to view during his research. Super interesting read.
dawnh's review against another edition
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.25
I thought author did a great job of parsing out his thoughts on who this officer really was deep down. I was intrigued the whole way through. The author did a lot of research and it was well written.
alisonannk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Racism, Religious bigotry, War, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Antisemitism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Gun violence, Slavery, Xenophobia, Genocide, Grief, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Blood, Death, Deportation, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Torture, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Violence, Child death, Police brutality, Sexism, Abandonment, Body horror, Child abuse, Colonisation, Classism, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Abortion, Drug use, Homophobia, Incest, Rape, Suicide, Addiction, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Animal death, Mental illness, Infidelity, and Pregnancy
katecks's review against another edition
3.0
This was very well researched and an interesting story. However the story was padded out too much with the general history of the rise of the Nazi party and the SS. Anyone reading this book would have an interest in Nazi history and would be aware of how they came to power. The author describes events that the the main character might have attended which was not necessary. The main tenet of the story is how the information is gathered so supposing the character attended such an event or other is counter productive. The family story was interesting and the depictions of Prague during the war years was good. While some editing is requiredthis is a worthwhile read. Thanks to Net galley for the free copy in return for an honest review.
xxstefaniereadsxx's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
4.0
The author was told about some documents that were found when someone took a chair to be upholstered. The documents belonged to Doctor Robert Griesinger, a lawyer who joined the Nazi party. He was employed by the Ministry of Economics and Labor in Prague. It was really interesting to learn about this person, his life, and how his documents wound up inside a chair. I liked this book a lot.