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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
Fine, if you were already interested in the subject, but not good enough to make you more interested. The last chapter is the best part, but not good enough to redeem the whole book
The Ambassador Dod parts were fascinating. His narcissistic daughter, not so much. It’s hard to sympathize with such a self centered character.
challenging
dark
informative
tense
fast-paced
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
informative
medium-paced
Shortly after the rose of Adolf Hitler to the role of Chancellor in Germany, American history professor William E. Dodd was named US Ambassador to Germany and uprooted himself, his wife, and his adult son and daughter to Berlin. This is the story of their time in Germany juxtaposed against the overall rise of Hitler’s Third Reich.
Given what I’ve come to expect from Larson, this was a rather straightforward historical tale. I guess I love the stories where Larson tells two seemingly disparate stories in history and how they come crashing together (Devil in the White City about HH Holmes and the World’s Fair in Chicago as well as Thunderstruck about a serial killer in London and the laying of the first Transatlantic cable). I didn’t like that I really didn’t give a darn about any of the characters and their stories bored me. The other thing I disliked was that 95% of the book takes place in a single calendar year (albeit a very eventful year) while the Dodds were in Germany for nearly five years total.
Maybe I just wasn’t in the right place to read this right now and it could deserve a second chance later. We shall see.
Given what I’ve come to expect from Larson, this was a rather straightforward historical tale. I guess I love the stories where Larson tells two seemingly disparate stories in history and how they come crashing together (Devil in the White City about HH Holmes and the World’s Fair in Chicago as well as Thunderstruck about a serial killer in London and the laying of the first Transatlantic cable). I didn’t like that I really didn’t give a darn about any of the characters and their stories bored me. The other thing I disliked was that 95% of the book takes place in a single calendar year (albeit a very eventful year) while the Dodds were in Germany for nearly five years total.
Maybe I just wasn’t in the right place to read this right now and it could deserve a second chance later. We shall see.
Fascinating, disturbing, and extremely well written. Highly recommend.
Reads like fiction and tells an amazing story! So interesting to see the point of view of diplomats and political figures during the uprise of Hitler and all the the misconceptions...
This was an impressive work of non-fiction that provided a behind-the-scenes view of what life was like for the American ambassador to Germany (and his family) during the Nazis' rise to power. The plot focused mainly on Ambassador Dodd and his daughter, Martha Dodd, a professional flirt and then writer. Though I didn't particularly like either of them, I found their lives fascinating and often wondered what I would have done differently had I been in their situations.
It was interesting to read about Nazi officials through the lens of high-society gatherings and secret affairs (I've never before read of Diels - the first Gestapo commander - through the lens of an American lover. He is characterized as one of the least rabid Nazis, with moral scruples that ultimately led to his death.) It was likewise interesting to read about KGB's watchful eyes during Hitler's ascension to absolute power (the second great love of Martha Dodd's life - Soviet Union Boris). I honestly don't understand why Martha was so cavalier with her romantic interests in general; did she not understand that as the U.S. ambassador's daughter, there would be plenty of people after her for reasons beyond mere attraction? Or did she know and not care?
As for Dodd, the man was fighting a losing war from the beginning. I knew beforehand that the United States was reluctant to join WW2 even at its height in Europe, so it didn't surprise me that the plight of the persecuted German Jews was not enough for the U.S. to take a bolder position prior to the war's onset. There was once even a Hitler Youth group formed within the U.S.! If I took anything away from the sections on ambassador Dodd himself, it would be the following:
- To the U.S. (and many other governments), the threat of lost money speaks louder than the threat of lost lives.
- It's shameful that the U.S. hesitated to condemn the Nazi persecution of Jews, because it feared that the Nazis would return with propaganda about how African Americans were treated.
- The Nazis did not assume power in a vacuum. The silence and/or fear of millions allowed Hitler to rule absolute. Hitler went as far as he did, not because he managed to carry out atrocities despite intervention, but because there was none.
This is not a feel-good book. It's filled with dread and apprehension. It's like falling down the rabbit hole into a wonderland filled with spies, murderers, and maniacs. At times the book became dry. At other times, I couldn't put it down. Above all, this was a well-researched and well-crafted piece of historical literature and no doubt an invaluable reference tool for those that want to know what the political atmosphere of 1933-1934 Germany.
It was interesting to read about Nazi officials through the lens of high-society gatherings and secret affairs (I've never before read of Diels - the first Gestapo commander - through the lens of an American lover. He is characterized as one of the least rabid Nazis, with moral scruples that ultimately led to his death.) It was likewise interesting to read about KGB's watchful eyes during Hitler's ascension to absolute power (the second great love of Martha Dodd's life - Soviet Union Boris). I honestly don't understand why Martha was so cavalier with her romantic interests in general; did she not understand that as the U.S. ambassador's daughter, there would be plenty of people after her for reasons beyond mere attraction? Or did she know and not care?
As for Dodd, the man was fighting a losing war from the beginning. I knew beforehand that the United States was reluctant to join WW2 even at its height in Europe, so it didn't surprise me that the plight of the persecuted German Jews was not enough for the U.S. to take a bolder position prior to the war's onset. There was once even a Hitler Youth group formed within the U.S.! If I took anything away from the sections on ambassador Dodd himself, it would be the following:
- To the U.S. (and many other governments), the threat of lost money speaks louder than the threat of lost lives.
- It's shameful that the U.S. hesitated to condemn the Nazi persecution of Jews, because it feared that the Nazis would return with propaganda about how African Americans were treated.
- The Nazis did not assume power in a vacuum. The silence and/or fear of millions allowed Hitler to rule absolute. Hitler went as far as he did, not because he managed to carry out atrocities despite intervention, but because there was none.
This is not a feel-good book. It's filled with dread and apprehension. It's like falling down the rabbit hole into a wonderland filled with spies, murderers, and maniacs. At times the book became dry. At other times, I couldn't put it down. Above all, this was a well-researched and well-crafted piece of historical literature and no doubt an invaluable reference tool for those that want to know what the political atmosphere of 1933-1934 Germany.
medium-paced