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4.36 AVERAGE
4.36 AVERAGE
A series of interviews with the leader of Treblinka, one of five extermination camps during the Holocaust. Incredible.
challenging
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
informative
medium-paced
Gitta Sereny is a great author, and this book is a good showcase of her efforts. This is the culmination of over seventy hours of interviews with Franz Stangl, the commandant of Treblinka. This was a very interesting book. I think it is so important to read and listen to things from the perspectives of these former Nazis. It has always made me so curious how people fall into behaviors like this, committing mass genocide and acts of torture and brutality. I really enjoyed this book, and would recommend it.
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Don't judge this book by it's (dated) cover - it's one of, if not THE, most important non-fiction books I've ever read. It's a cracking piece of journalism, philosophy, psychology and history wrapped into one. It's also disturbingly relevant to this moment - asking why and how seemingly normal individuals can evolve and take on villainous tasks on behalf of the state.
Very hard to read but incredibly interesting to look at how humans aren't inherently evil (at least most), but instead how people encounter situations where facing themselves is more difficult than the evil that is on their hands.
A remarkable and chilling deep dive into the life and relationships of a seemingly ordinary man who nevertheless lived a life both monstrous and banal. It explores the lies we tell others and more importantly the lies we tell ourselves.
not only is this an incredible example of investigative journalism, but the careful conducting of the interviews with Franz Stangl and those who knew him shows Sereny's heart and desire to present fair and holistic accounts of even those accused of the worst inhumanities. this book presents a really personal, intricate look into how people somehow construct their morals and identities in the face of cruelty. It's heavy reading, but in my opinion worth really digging into to better understand the complexities of the Nazi system and the brutality of extermination camps and their officers.