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gakingmusic 's review for:
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.