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daisythorns's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.0
dee9401's review
4.0
A powerful read with many examples of how many people knew what was going on but still turned a blind eye. Some were scared, others profited, and some rejoiced and then prayed they'd never be found out for their actions. And by people, I mean not just Germans, but French, Italian, American and British actors. Britain and the US looked the other way in order to profit off the technical expertise of Nazi scientists. The French pretended that they were all in the Resistance and then even forgave and glorified some of the top-level collaborators, including Marshall Pétain. Fascists in Italy were pardoned in bulk and integrated back into society with nary a trial or investigation.
As I read it, it was truly frightening to see the similarities (though certainly without the magnitude of deaths) of the rise of Nazism and the rise of Trump and the far right in the United States. The author cites that as one reason she wanted to write this book.
The book has many great quotes, but I selected three for this review. One was on the German Evangelical Church, but one could shift the time frame and easily see this as some of the evangelical churches across the US that have embraced racism and hatred and thrown their support blindly behind Trump. "After all, the German Evangelical Church, which was a strong guiding force for Oma’s conscience, had given the Führer its blessing, hoping that the hated democracy would be followed by a Christian-authoritarian regime. On holidays, some churches unabashedly flew the Nazi flag from their steeples, letting its blood-red fabric flutter around the Christian cross." (~ 34% into book)
Later, talking about how political leaders, including Hitler and Mussolini (and one can certainly see Trump in this mix), Schwarz looks at the impact the French thinker Gustave Le Bon had on these leaders. "To manipulate a crowd, Le Bon emphasized that a leader must use terms that bring up strong, impressive images, flatter the passions and desires of his audience, satisfy the taste crowds have for what is legendary, confuse the line between the unbelievable and the real, and above all, renounce all reasoning. In this way, he will obtain deference, self-sacrifice, and a sense of duty, to the point that the crowd will renounce deeply anchored human values." (~ 81% into book)
Near the end of this memoir, Schwarz quotes Hannah Arendt for insight on spreading lies and conspiracy theories today: "If everybody always lies to you, the consequence is not that you believe the lies, but rather that nobody believes anything any longer… And a people that no longer can believe anything cannot make up its mind. It is deprived not only of its capacity to act but also of its capacity to think and to judge. And with such a people you can then do what you please.” (~ 95% into book)
As I read it, it was truly frightening to see the similarities (though certainly without the magnitude of deaths) of the rise of Nazism and the rise of Trump and the far right in the United States. The author cites that as one reason she wanted to write this book.
The book has many great quotes, but I selected three for this review. One was on the German Evangelical Church, but one could shift the time frame and easily see this as some of the evangelical churches across the US that have embraced racism and hatred and thrown their support blindly behind Trump. "After all, the German Evangelical Church, which was a strong guiding force for Oma’s conscience, had given the Führer its blessing, hoping that the hated democracy would be followed by a Christian-authoritarian regime. On holidays, some churches unabashedly flew the Nazi flag from their steeples, letting its blood-red fabric flutter around the Christian cross." (~ 34% into book)
Later, talking about how political leaders, including Hitler and Mussolini (and one can certainly see Trump in this mix), Schwarz looks at the impact the French thinker Gustave Le Bon had on these leaders. "To manipulate a crowd, Le Bon emphasized that a leader must use terms that bring up strong, impressive images, flatter the passions and desires of his audience, satisfy the taste crowds have for what is legendary, confuse the line between the unbelievable and the real, and above all, renounce all reasoning. In this way, he will obtain deference, self-sacrifice, and a sense of duty, to the point that the crowd will renounce deeply anchored human values." (~ 81% into book)
Near the end of this memoir, Schwarz quotes Hannah Arendt for insight on spreading lies and conspiracy theories today: "If everybody always lies to you, the consequence is not that you believe the lies, but rather that nobody believes anything any longer… And a people that no longer can believe anything cannot make up its mind. It is deprived not only of its capacity to act but also of its capacity to think and to judge. And with such a people you can then do what you please.” (~ 95% into book)
juliebcooper's review against another edition
5.0
It is completely appropriate that Schwarz has “A Warning” as part of her title because more than anything, that is what stuck with me. She uses her family’s story to talk about “memory work” that was done specifically by West Germans after the Holocaust. It’s the first time I’ve heard this phrase. I appreciated how she connected the past, and this “memory work”, to the rise in fascism in the US and in Europe.
bokpetra's review against another edition
5.0
A very good book. The subject matter is dark, but it is important to learn about it and it is a very fascinating book.
albawaterhouse's review against another edition
4.0
I wanted to love this book but I didn't.
It took me 5 months to finish it because I could never bring myself to read more than 5 or 6 pages at a time because it reads mostly like a history text book, it is so dry. It is also confusing when she goes on to talk about family members and you lose track of who is who and what the timeline is. I think the book would have benefited from being told chronologically and maybe with a less strict and dry use of language. What I normally enjoy about journalistic essays is that they read at times like novels, this was not the case here. Overall, I really didn't enjoy Schwarz writing style and structuring.
However, I have to give it 4 stars because the topic and the research are amazing. I am glad I kept reading it until the end, I feel so much more informed and knowledgeable now. This is a dense and complicated topic and the book is a very valuable account of a side of our European history that is rarely talked about. The book should be read in every high school in France and Germany.
It took me 5 months to finish it because I could never bring myself to read more than 5 or 6 pages at a time because it reads mostly like a history text book, it is so dry. It is also confusing when she goes on to talk about family members and you lose track of who is who and what the timeline is. I think the book would have benefited from being told chronologically and maybe with a less strict and dry use of language. What I normally enjoy about journalistic essays is that they read at times like novels, this was not the case here. Overall, I really didn't enjoy Schwarz writing style and structuring.
However, I have to give it 4 stars because the topic and the research are amazing. I am glad I kept reading it until the end, I feel so much more informed and knowledgeable now. This is a dense and complicated topic and the book is a very valuable account of a side of our European history that is rarely talked about. The book should be read in every high school in France and Germany.
guuran62's review against another edition
4.0
https://boklaadan.wordpress.com/2021/02/21/medloparna/