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eamcmahon3's review
4.0
This is what I wanted out of my spring break trip to Berlin about the economics of Berlin after world War II. This book does a masterful job of explaining what the Germany was like after Hitler.
Jähner paints a clear picture of a country dealing with collective trauma and how the people dealt with the outcome of the war. We don't often hear the story of Germany, but it's an important one. There was a lot of pain in-between WWII and the economic prosperity of today.
Jähner paints a clear picture of a country dealing with collective trauma and how the people dealt with the outcome of the war. We don't often hear the story of Germany, but it's an important one. There was a lot of pain in-between WWII and the economic prosperity of today.
candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition
4.0
"Aftermath" gives us a fascinating look at German life following the end of World War II. I've always wondered what happened when people looked out over the total destruction of their cities, the millions dead, the ignominious end of the Fascist state so many had embraced. Jahner's answer--they got to work, cleared the rubble, and tried to create a kind of local government. Women, disgusted at what the toxic masculinity of Nazism had wrought, were ready for a different future. What people didn't seem to do is wonder about the millions of missing Jews, worry about the fate of so many displaced persons with no countries to return to. They would become angry at the DPs, saying that most of the available food was being given to them while civilians starved. Jahner points out that DPS did get more calories than civilians because they were in such poor condition after years of slave labor.
You do see people celebrating their survival with dances in anyplace not littered with chunks of broken buildings, music, plays. Women took up important roles during this time, and Jahner's description of the change in male/female relationships when men returned from the East makes for powerful reading.
The structure of "Aftermath" is awkward, but the writing is strong. This is an important book for anyone interested in the years following the war.
You do see people celebrating their survival with dances in anyplace not littered with chunks of broken buildings, music, plays. Women took up important roles during this time, and Jahner's description of the change in male/female relationships when men returned from the East makes for powerful reading.
The structure of "Aftermath" is awkward, but the writing is strong. This is an important book for anyone interested in the years following the war.
papelgren's review
4.0
Jahner provides a detailed examination of Germany after WWII that is engaging, critical, and informative. There is nuance but also collective repression; the psychological phenomenons that arise out of the perpetration of collective unspeakable crimes are altogether prescient for humanity at large.
harborreader_92's review
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5