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sdbecque 's review for:
I meant to see this before the movie, but that didn't happen. After the movie less than lived up to expectations, I wasn't sure that I even wanted to read this. But I'm really glad that I did.
Sometimes after hearing the word "Nazi" thrown around as shorthand for a evildoers of all kinds you almost lose track of horrible they really were. This book really brings that point home, if organized mass murder and world domination weren't enough for you, they are also lying, cheating and stealing artwork and cultures out from anyone they thought was "unworthy of it."
I think the book is more able to capture the tension and struggle of the work the Monuments Men were doing. It also places them in a better context, obviously human life is more important then artwork or buildings, but they were there to be a voice for the culture after the conflicts had happened. There was a line that particularly struck me, it's one thing to protect the culture of your allies, it's another to fight for and try to protect the culture of your enemies, and then to give that culture back to them. It's also something, as Edsel points out at the end of the book, that has largely been missing in Global Conflicts since WW2. One could argue of course about the Western vs. Eastern culture hierarchy that is probably in part bound up in that decision, but it's worth noting. Even though I knew how some of this turned out, I found it suspenseful. A worthwhile read.