A review by elaughman
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson

Another banger from Larson, this time following the American ambassador to Germany before the country is completely Hitler-ified. Larson's strength is in making these historical figures present like fiction characters--multifaceted and full of intrigue and drama and desire and tragedy, all somehow based on historical artifacts. A great lesson in making history feel immediate and relevant. Highly recommend for those interested in history, our modern political climate ("those who forget their history..." yada yada) to see how things could turn out if power hungry demagogues are left unchallenged, and--bear with me here--2005's "The Revenge of the Sith"