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tara_pikachu's review against another edition
3.0
If you've ever wondered why we never hear about Germany's billionaires, it's probably because of their dark past owing to their ties to the Nazis, whether it be filling the party's coffers with donations, supplying arms to the party or "Aryanization" of successful Jewish companies. Well-researched but I have problems with the author's organisation...it would have been easier to keep track of the families if he had focused on one family at a time instead of going by the year.
fullmetal485's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.0
I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot about business leaders during the Nazi era. Using the Quadts as an example, there would of been no popular businesses with Nazi slave labor, and no Nazis without business backing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Child death, and Antisemitism
xxstefaniereadsxx's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
4.0
In the years preceding World War II, and certainly throughout, many companies threw their hat into the ring of Nazi support. Many business owners felt that it would be good to serve whoever was in power, especially if those in power were eliminating business rivals (i.e. Jewish business owners) and selling off their companies for next to nothing. Of course, many business owners shared Nazi ideology, even becoming members of the Nazi Party. In the post-war years, many of these companies have continued to thrive, despite their treacherous beginnings and shady doings, with many claiming that they were coerced into supporting the Nazi Party or having to join because of pressure and blackmail. At any rate, it was interested to see how some of theses people came to be in the situations they found themselves in.
I got this book some time ago, and I really wish that I had gotten around to reading it sooner. I have the Audible version, which is about eleven hours to listen to. The narrator was pleasant, and I enjoyed it. If you are interested in the physical copy, it is around 400 pages. The author of this book absolutely did his due diligence when researching the companies mentioned and their Nazi collaborators. I knew about some of these, but this book went into much greater detail about the companies than I had previously been exposed to. This was a really good book.
I got this book some time ago, and I really wish that I had gotten around to reading it sooner. I have the Audible version, which is about eleven hours to listen to. The narrator was pleasant, and I enjoyed it. If you are interested in the physical copy, it is around 400 pages. The author of this book absolutely did his due diligence when researching the companies mentioned and their Nazi collaborators. I knew about some of these, but this book went into much greater detail about the companies than I had previously been exposed to. This was a really good book.
ascoular's review against another edition
3.0
While I believed this book was about various millionaires, the book is really about three families. While the WW2 section of the book is important to the narrative of how these families built their fortunes, the book spent a disproportionate amount of time on this period. I was personally more interested in Magda’s family than financial dealings.
Then, the book speeds through the decades until we get the present day reckonings, of which feel far and few between. By the time we got here, I lost interest and just wanted my reading journey to be over. However, the last 25% of this book is succinctly written so I found that the writing did improve. I had high hopes but you’re better off googling the families if you really want to know about them.
Then, the book speeds through the decades until we get the present day reckonings, of which feel far and few between. By the time we got here, I lost interest and just wanted my reading journey to be over. However, the last 25% of this book is succinctly written so I found that the writing did improve. I had high hopes but you’re better off googling the families if you really want to know about them.