Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Really reads like a novel but Larson has done his homework it seems. Will look to read more of him
The research and thought put into this nonfiction book was wonderful. I'm currently having a rough time reading anything that ties into the rise of the nazi party/WWII.
Just didn’t feel it. I might get more into it at another time.
https://benjamincongdon.me/blog/2020/12/23/My-Favorite-Books-of-2020/
challenging
informative
slow-paced
I'm glad to have read it even if I wish I hadn't
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
So much of this book was sloooow. Then something would be very tense and fast-paced. The side info made this book hard to read.
dark
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
In the Garden of Beasts reads more like a novel than a history book, which is exactly what makes it so engaging. Larson brings 1930s Berlin to life in all its eerie, glamorous, and terrifying detail, following U.S. Ambassador William Dodd and his daughter Martha as they navigate the rise of Nazi Germany.
Martha, in particular, is fascinating. She’s bold, curious, and sometimes reckless, drawn in by the excitement of Berlin and the powerful people around her. Her flirtations with high-ranking Nazis make for some of the book’s most compelling and unsettling moments. She’s not always likable, but she’s never boring, and through her, Larson shows just how easy it is to get swept up in something truly dangerous, and not recognize it until you’re in deeper than you expected.
What really stuck with me, though, was how familiar some of it felt. The way people downplayed the threat, made excuses, hoped it would all blow over… it’s hard not to see the parallels to what’s happening in parts of America right now. It’s a quiet kind of horror, realizing how history can repeat itself when no one takes the warning signs seriously.
If you’re into history that feels real and urgent, this is definitely worth a read.
Martha, in particular, is fascinating. She’s bold, curious, and sometimes reckless, drawn in by the excitement of Berlin and the powerful people around her. Her flirtations with high-ranking Nazis make for some of the book’s most compelling and unsettling moments. She’s not always likable, but she’s never boring, and through her, Larson shows just how easy it is to get swept up in something truly dangerous, and not recognize it until you’re in deeper than you expected.
What really stuck with me, though, was how familiar some of it felt. The way people downplayed the threat, made excuses, hoped it would all blow over… it’s hard not to see the parallels to what’s happening in parts of America right now. It’s a quiet kind of horror, realizing how history can repeat itself when no one takes the warning signs seriously.
If you’re into history that feels real and urgent, this is definitely worth a read.
An American family with conflicted feelings about Naziism and anti-Semitism is thrust into Berlin in 1933. William E. Dodd is pressured into becoming the American Ambassador to Germany, a job nobody seems to want. His daughter Martha gets caught up in the excitement of the Nazi rise to power, yet she gets caught up in an extended affair with a Russian communist.
Rumors spread around the world about the horrors of Nazi power, but the Dodds initially don't see evidence of the rumors in Berlin and remain in denial for some time. Not surprisingly, as political events play out in Germany, the Dodds come to realize how scary things are. When Dodd finally resolves to takes action, there is not much that he can do.
It is frightening how many people in Germany, the United States, and the rest of the world either supported, denied, or ignored the Nazi treatment of Jews and other minorities in Germany. Larson shows what it was like on the streets of Berlin. It shocks me how similar it is to the treatment of minorities in America, where people remain in denial about it to this day.
While In the Garden of Beasts is not among Larson's best works, nor among the best works about World War II, it is an interesting story and a reminder to keep your guard up about politicians who blame minorities for problems that are really the result of bad policy or natural economics. Even highly intelligent, good-natured people like the Dodds can easily fall into the trap of propaganda and fail to react before it is too late.
Rumors spread around the world about the horrors of Nazi power, but the Dodds initially don't see evidence of the rumors in Berlin and remain in denial for some time. Not surprisingly, as political events play out in Germany, the Dodds come to realize how scary things are. When Dodd finally resolves to takes action, there is not much that he can do.
It is frightening how many people in Germany, the United States, and the rest of the world either supported, denied, or ignored the Nazi treatment of Jews and other minorities in Germany. Larson shows what it was like on the streets of Berlin. It shocks me how similar it is to the treatment of minorities in America, where people remain in denial about it to this day.
While In the Garden of Beasts is not among Larson's best works, nor among the best works about World War II, it is an interesting story and a reminder to keep your guard up about politicians who blame minorities for problems that are really the result of bad policy or natural economics. Even highly intelligent, good-natured people like the Dodds can easily fall into the trap of propaganda and fail to react before it is too late.